Play for Keeps
by Ronja-R
Summary: Begins where season five ends, with Blair coming to Chuck at the casino. My take on what happens next.
1. Gambling on Love

I got an unexpected rush of inspiration after watching the season finale and ended up with this. It's going to be three parts (plus possibly an epilogue), all fairly long. I'm not sure how coherent it is but feel free to tell me =) Read on if you've got the time!

* * *

Chuck kept his eyes on the cards the croupier placed on the table, taking a sip from his scotch while pondering how big of a bet he should place. Thanks to his uncle Jack's ability to count cards he had managed to win a fair amount already, occasionally losing on purpose to keep the croupier from getting suspicious. One or two nights of successful gambling would not be enough to help them take down Bart Bass but it was a start. For Chuck it wasn't so much about the money at the moment as it was about finding some smidgen of dignity back and proving to his so-called father that he had been wrong to oust him from the company. No matter what Bart said or thought Chuck knew he had saved Bass Industries on more than one occasion and he couldn't understand why Bart had left the company to him in his will if he had such a low view of Chuck's abilities to run it. Then again Bart's aversions seemed to be mostly about Chuck's inability to let go of Blair Waldorf. That would not be a problem from this point on. Blair was a part of his past now and that was the way he intended for it to stay.

To his left Jack slouched over the back of a chair, eyeing the cards carefully. It felt strange to be in cahoots with Jack Bass after everything that had happened yet for some reason Chuck felt like he could trust him. He had a sneaking suspicion that Jack's main objective had always been the same as Chuck's own – to prove to Bart that he was capable and a force to be reckoned with. To win Bart's respect. Chuck wasn't sure which one of them was more pathetic. Himself for being so desperate for the acknowledgment of a father who never seemed to give a damn, or Jack for so desperately seeking the approval of an elder brother even after almost forty years.

"Is there a seat available?" a voice said to his right.

Before she had gotten the whole sentence out Chuck had already turned to look at her. It was her. Of course it was her. He would know that voice anywhere and there was no other like it in the world. No other like her. Blair Waldorf, dressed in orange and gold, looking more like herself than she had in a long time, reminding him of a Phoenix rising from the ashes, her hand full of yellow chips. For a second he thought Jack must have put something in his drink to make him hallucinate. There was no reason for Blair to be there. He had made it clear to her that he didn't want to be her pity project and that he needed to be more than the man she was currently with. Why wasn't she in New York, convincing Dan Humphrey that he was the man she loved and that Chuck was a thing of the past?

"Here" he heard Jack's voice answer her. "Take mine."

Chuck turned and looked at his uncle, staring at him as if he had grown a second nose. Nothing was making sense at the moment. He was beginning to understand what Nate must feel like most of the time. Jack had a smile on his face like he was very pleased with himself even though he of all people should object to Blair appearing on the scene. Wasn't Jack the one who had said their gambling was important and they couldn't afford distractions? Didn't he find Chuck's obsession with Blair just as pathetic as Bart did?

He saw Blair share a look with Jack which only served to confuse him more. As did the words she said before sitting down.

"Thanks for the call."

Jack nodded slightly and pulled out the chair for her. In the corner of his eye Chuck saw him leave but his eyes were focused on Blair. Seeing her now, sitting down next to him, was like watching a beautiful painting come to life. One of the fairest sights he had seen in all his life but too strange for it to be reality. What was this new scheme? What did she plan on doing to him now? He wasn't sure he could handle one more round of this.

She looked up at him, cocked her eyebrows and looked at him with calm confidence. Determination. He knew that look very well. She wanted something and she was there to make sure she would get it.

"You fought for me all year" she said. "I've come to fight for you."

His own reaction surprised him. He should be overcome with joy right now but something was preventing him to have the proper reacting to the words she had just said. Words he had been desperate to hear just a week ago. Now he wasn't sure how to interpret them. Things were moving a little bit too fast for his liking. He could use a second to gather his thoughts and try to make sense of it all.

She looked over at the croupier and he could see her drawing a short, nervous breath. So she wasn't entirely confident after all, the calmness in her voice partly a façade.

"Will you be joining the game?" the croupier asked her.

"You said I always bet against you" Blair said. Chuck's eyes followed her every move as she turned her face to him. "But this time I'm all in."

To underscore her words she pushed her stack of chips forward, placing them as her bet. Fifteen yellow chips, each one worth $200 000. A minor fortune and more than what he had assumed she had in her trust fund. Where had she found this kind of money? His eyes were fixated on the chips and what they represented. She said she was going all in. Betting on him, on them, as he understood it. The chips on the table, were they part of Waldorf Designs? Betting part of her future?

"Your bet, sir?" the croupier's voice said.

He looked up at the man in the white suit, staring at him as if he hadn't understood the question. He felt Blair's eyes on him and turned his face to her. She looked at him with a bit of nervousness that faded into something else when their eyes met. A smile played on her lips. They looked into one another's eyes for a moment without uttering a word. She had placed her bet. Now she was waiting for him to place his.

He looked down at his stack of chips for a brief second and then up at the croupier.

"I'm out" he said.

In the corner of his eye he could see her jaw drop a little and he had a feeling that if it hadn't been for the noise of the casino he would have been able to hear a small gasp from her. None of that concerned him at the moment as he got up from his chair and gathered his chips, placing them in a small satin bag for easier carrying. He made it five steps from the table before her soft hand grabbed his and stopped him. He turned and looked at her, feeling irritation more than whatever it was she wanted and expected him to feel.

"Chuck…" she said, her voice a mixture of surprise, sadness and disappointment.

"I told you" he said. "I'm done. I'm out."

"Chuck wait." She looked down for a second and then her eyes met his again. "I know… you said you didn't want to be Mr. Blair Waldorf. That's not what this is. This is me… laying my heart out for you. I meant it when I said I was done running."

"This is not what I want" he said. "I want to be with someone who doesn't feel the need to run away from her feelings for me and doesn't desire to kill them. I want to be with someone who doesn't hate that she loves me. I think I deserve that. If you genuinely loved me I think you would want that for me too."

She grabbed a hold of his sleeve and led him with her to a more quiet corner. He was no longer looking at her with confusion, now all he felt was weary. It irritated him to see her reaction to his answer being one of surprise. Even after their last conversation had she honestly expected him to just take her back and be grateful for her affections?

"So much has happened" she began. "Chuck I don't want to run from my feelings anymore. I want to embrace them. I want to be with you and be happier than I could possibly be with anybody else."

"And what about my happiness?" he asked. "Where does that factor in?"

She looked confused.

"We'd be happy together."

"No Blair. I'm not happy. I haven't been for a long time. It's time for me to think about my own happiness and to build a future for myself."

"We once said we would build our futures together. I said I came to fight for you and I meant it. I don't blame you for being angry." She looked down for a second and then back up at him. "I made a choice. A choice to go after the man I truly love; the man who makes me truly happy. I understand that it might not happen at the blink of an eye but all I want you to know is that I'm fighting and I'm not giving up."

"I have to wonder…" Chuck said. "Are you here because you chose me? Because you realized you were distracting yourself with Humphrey since you were scared of loving me but now you're no longer able to lie to yourself about how you feel? Or are you here because you love Humphrey but you're scared to and you're scared of what that means so you're trying to distract yourself with me?"

"Dan is my past. You are my future."

"I wish I could believe you" he said. "But I don't. You placed your bet. You lost. Now it's time for both of us to move on."

He gently nudged her aside and walked away. In a strange way it felt good to say those things to her. He couldn't stand one more moment of her taking him for granted and it dawned on him that he had lost all faith in the honesty of her feelings. He had gone all in six months ago and she had given him every reason to trust that decision and place that bet. Every word out of her mouth had reaffirmed his belief in her feelings for him. Still he had lost. What did it matter that she came to him now and played that scene for him again in a different setting? He was still going to lose. That was the way things worked with Blair Waldorf.

Having lost all desire to gamble he headed for the lobby to go up to his hotel room. He didn't see his uncle standing by a pillar with his arm around a busty blonde but Jack looked up for long enough to see him. Quickly he dismissed the blonde and hurried after Chuck.

"Nephew!"

Holding back a frustrated sigh Chuck turned around and faced his uncle. If his mood had been brighter the look on Jack's face would have been almost comical.

"What, what just happened?" Jack asked. "I figured by now you'd be toasting in champagne, probably licking it up from Blair's bellybutton." A look of actual concern appeared on his face. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry Jack" Chuck said, managing a smile that didn't even almost reach his eyes. "I've done enough gambling for one night. We'll have to continue our quest for funds tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Chuck" Jack said, stopping him as he was about to leave again. "Come on, I of all people know what that woman means to you. I thought you'd be happy to see her here."

"No, my father was right. Blair has done nothing but toy with me for years. If she's eager to have me now it's only because I took her toy away by telling her I'm done. If I get back together with her she'll grow tired again and move on to someone else. I will not be weak anymore. I will not throw everything away for her. I've done it time and time again in the past and I've been blind to my own weaknesses. Bart always saw my weaknesses better than he saw anything else. He took away the company because of it."

"So you're basing this reaction on my older brother telling you that you can't have both love and business?" Jack said. "Taking the advice of a man who's a huge failure when it comes to all his relationships? Do you really want to end up like him? Or like me?"

"However I end up I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror and not be appalled by what I see. I have no dignity left; I threw it all away for her and for Bart. I won't come crawling to either one of them and I won't let either one of them try to tell me that they've done the things they've done because they _care_ about me."

Jack shrugged.

"Eh, Bart probably hasn't. Nor do I think he'd ever try and make such a claim. If there are feelings inside that lobster-tanned robot they are only focused on what makes _him_ feel good, which is usually business. My brother thinks you can't have a passionate love and be a good businessman. He thinks _you_ can't be a real Bass and be with Blair."

"I know" Chuck said angrily.

"That doesn't mean he's right. You need to stop treating the words that come out of his mouth as gospel."

"Look, why do you even care? You were the one who set out to ruin Blair and me in the first place."

Jack smirked.

"I want to see my brother taken down a peg… or fifty. I want to get revenge for how he's treated me over the years and for taking everything away from me yet again. Masterminding him and casting _him_ out for once would be even sweeter if you were to add insult to injury by proving him wrong and having both your princess and your empire."

"I don't care much for princesses" Chuck said dryly. "If you'll excuse me."

He strode off towards the elevators, leaving Jack rolling his eyes and sighing. Jack turned to go back to the blonde and spotted Blair standing ten yards away, looking upset and a bit frightened. He didn't care all that much for her mental state at the moment but judging by the look on her face he wouldn't be able to escape a conversation with her.

"I'm sorry" he shrugged when she came over. "Hey, all I said was that he was here. I never guaranteed he would be happy to see you."

"I don't get it" Blair said, her voice weak and with a hint of a tremble. "I thought this was what he wanted. What he _needed_. For me to prove to him that I'm willing to put all that I have into _us _and that we can build our future together."

"Judging from the conversation I just had with him your outlook is not so good" Jack said. "Guess it was a mistake calling you."

"No" she said. "I told Chuck that I will fight for him and so I shall." She raised her chin a bit and looked more confident. "It's not really fighting for him if he comes back to me right away. If at first you don't succeed…"

Jack rolled his eyes.

"The two of you really serve to remind me why I'm glad I'm no longer in my early twenties. All the drama, all the theatrics… Either be together or don't be. Make up your minds once and for all."

"I have."

"Yeah? Like you made up your mind to marry the prince?"

Her eyes turned colder and the look on her face decidedly unfriendly.

"I don't know why I'm wasting my time standing here talking to you."

"That's a hell of a way to thank the guy who at least gave you a chance to get your man back" Jack commented. "Guess 'thank yous' are not your strong suit."

"I am grateful that you called. Though maybe I should have been more suspicious. You're the reason we broke up in the first place. Why should you suddenly want to help us get back together? I don't know why Chuck trusts you at all anymore after all the time you spent trying to ruin him."

"That was business" Jack shrugged. "Nothing personal."

"Nothing personal?" she echoed with disgust and disbelief.

"Okay, fine, I was bitter for a long time. Bart should have entrusted the company to me, not to a seventeen year-old with more issues than he's got hairs on his head. I'm past that now. I always liked Chuck prior to Bart's death and as much as I do enjoy messing with him I think at this point he doesn't need me for that. Bart does a good enough job messing him up. Someone's got to be in Chuck's corner and since him and I share similar purposes at the moment it might as well be me."

"He won't need you in his corner" Blair said. "He'll have me."

"Good luck with that. If you'll excuse me. It appears we're done gambling for the evening which means that somewhere in this casino there's a lucky lady who will be reeling herself a Bass for the night."

He grinned at her and she made a disgusted face. He walked past her, heading back to the action. Blair remained in the same spot for a few minutes, trying to determine her next move. Then she looked over at the reception desk and strode over to it.

* * *

Eleven year-old Chuck rolled his eyes and sighed, stretched out on his side on Blair's bed, looking through a catalogue he had found among Eleanor's sketches downstairs. This was far from his idea of a fun afternoon. Nate had dragged him over to Blair's and now Chuck was stuck trying to entertain himself while Blair cried to the movie they were watching and Nate fought to stay awake.

He saw Nate's head fall forward, sleep winning over Archibald. A quick glance at Blair told Chuck she hadn't noticed yet, too preoccupied with the movie, but it would only be a matter of seconds before she realized what was going on and the result would not be favorable for his best friend. With his foot he gave Nate a light shove to wake him up. The movement startled Nate who looked puzzled for a second and then realized that he had nodded off.

"I'm thirsty" he declared, needing an excuse to get up and move a little. "I'm just gonna run downstairs and get something to drink."

"Hurry back" Blair said, eyes glued to the TV.

Nate left and Chuck scoffed, turning the page in the catalogue.

"Poor Nathaniel" he said. "I truly do pity the boy."

Blair frowned and tore her eyes from the TV to give him a disapproving glare.

"What are you talking about?"

"I can barely stand one afternoon of this and he puts up with it several times a week. Come on Waldorf, you can be more fun than this can't you?"

"We're having fun" Blair insisted.

"Your idea of fun is watching something that makes you bawl like a baby?"

"It's about being moved by a compelling story."

"What's compelling about it? An alien who looks like something picked out of a garbage disposal spends a few weeks on our planet and then goes home without paying the phone bill. Such a waste of time…"

"Hey I remember you being glued to the TV set watching this movie."

"Yeah, the first time I saw it. You must have seen this movie a dozen times. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"Tired of a classic?"

"There's no fun in it when you know exactly how it's going to turn out. Let me give you a spoiler: He'll come back to life in about ten seconds. Then they'll all race to get him to the spaceship and the boys and their bikes will fly and the alien goes home and everybody lives… okay ever after."

"I know how it ends; that's not the point."

"I'd argue that it's exactly the point. Where's the entertainment value in watching something where you know the exact outcome?"

"You've never read a book more than once? Watched a movie more than once?"

"When I was five I watched '_the Rescuers_' every day for two months. I've evolved since then. Okay, I can admit that there's a certain charm to re-watching or re-reading. It's nostalgic. Just not when the last time you watched the movie was three months ago."

"I like knowing how things are going to turn out" Blair said, annoyed by the conversation. "Where is the charm in uncertainty and having your future being completely open?"

"I thought that was the charm of life" Chuck said, turning another page in the catalogue and raising his eyebrow.

"That just shows how simple-minded you are."

"Why are we even talking about our futures? I thought we were discussing your odd fascination with watching the same movies over and over and over and over."

"I happen to think that there is a connection. I like watching the same movies over and over because I like knowing how things are going to turn out. I mean to apply the same philosophy to my own life."

"Just do the same stuff over and over?"

"Make sure I know how things are going to turn out. I don't intend on leaving anything to chance or taking any gambles."

"Like I said…" Chuck said, eyes on the catalogue. "Poor Archibald. What a boring future he's in for if that's your attitude. You'll probably keep him glued to your side until you're eighty-six even if in a few years' time your feelings for him aren't the same anymore, all so you don't have to change the idea of your future that you've mapped out in your head."

In a sudden rush of anger Blair leaned over to snatch the catalogue from him and smack him over the head with it. She got as far as snatching the catalogue and then saw what kind of catalogue he had been browsing through.

"Lingerie?" she said with a disgusted gasp. "You're lounging on my bed ogling women in lingerie? God you're disgusting."

"I'm a guy."

"You're a perv. Isn't this a bit sleazy even for you at our age?"

"Let's just say that while you and Nathaniel are still children I have made the transition into manhood" Chuck smirked, enjoying the thoroughly disgusted look on her face when it dawned on her what he alluded to.

"Ugh, you are the most disgusting person who ever lived" she complained.

"That's not what Georgina Sparks seems to think."

"Ew, somehow you managed to make this conversation even grosser."

Nate walked through the door with a glass of water in his hand, looking a bit more awake now but oblivious to Blair's disgust and Chuck's amusement.

"So have they escaped the CDC people yet?" he asked, sitting down on the bed while hiding a yawn behind his hand.

"I have to go" Chuck said, getting up from the bed. "I forgot I had this… thing."

"I'm sure you do" Blair said, looking very uncomfortable.

"See you tomorrow, Archibald" Chuck said, grabbing his jacket from the chair he had flung it over.

"Yeah, see you" Nate said.

With a teasing smirk Chuck walked over to Blair and tapped her nose gently with his index finger.

"Be good" he said, imitating E.T.

Blair wrinkled her nose and gave him a disgusted look. With a shrug and a smirk he left the room, eager to head out and do something more fun. Not that teasing Blair wasn't fun but for some reason it never seemed as much so when Nate was there too.

* * *

Twenty-one year-old Chuck sat on his hotel bed with his legs stretched out in front of him, his eyes studying the green casino chip he was twirling with his fingers. Thinking back on that afternoon ten years ago it made him wonder if the conversation they had had back then was the answer to his questions or if you couldn't apply something Blair had said a decade ago to how she thought and reasoned now. Ten years ago she had been determined to have a certain kind of future and would make sure that she got it even if that might not be what actually made her happy. At that point he hadn't understood what kind of things she wanted her future to entail but by now it seemed obvious that the most important thing to Blair Waldorf was to have a man by her side, something that surprised him given how strong and independent he had always thought her to be. She had never been single for very long at a time and she had rushed into an engagement from a prince and then straight from her marriage to the arms of Dan Humphrey. From what Chuck gathered there had been some trouble in paradise between her and the Brooklyn boy for the past few weeks leading up to that night at the Empire. For all he knew this was nothing more than Blair deciding Chuck was the safer option since he had always been there when she wanted him in the past. She knew how much he loved her and that he couldn't let her go, therefore he was always an option. The perfect fallback.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. At first he barely reacted to it but when another round of knocks came he looked up from the chip. He stared at the door for a minute, wondering if it was Jack coming to drag him back down to the craps table. Then yet another round of knocks came and he got up from the bed and walked over to answer the door.

It was Blair, looking considerably less calm and confident this time. She swallowed and gave him half a smile, seemingly an apologetic one.

"What do you want, Blair?" he asked before she could speak. He didn't want to see her yet, he needed some more time to think things through.

"To explain." She looked down at her hands, her face looking apologetic for the first time. "I know you don't want to build your future based on my funds. You're too independent for that. Just like I'm too independent to want to be Chuck Bass' girlfriend with nothing to attribute to my own name." She looked up at him again and a hint of a smile played on her lips. "The gesture downstairs was symbolic. It's my heart I'm going all in with. We can figure out the rest eventually. We can build a future however you want to."

"It sounds lovely" he said. "Unfortunately… it also sounds like déjà vu. We've been down this road before. I always end up losing while you walk away salvaging what you can. What's to say this time will be any different?"

"You can trust me."

"I have. I always have." He laughed shortly. It was utterly joyless. "I can't do it anymore. I can't live that way."

"Things are different now" Blair said. "The things that scared me about you, they're not there anymore. You've grown up. After all the bad things that happened between us I became afraid that if I devoted myself to you I would end up hurt but I don't feel that way anymore."

"Nor did you seem to six months ago, that night before the car crash. You were willing to raise your child with me. That's not a responsibility you entrust on someone you don't trust or you fear might hurt you."

"I know but then the accident happened and I…" She bit her bottom lip and looked away for a second, her eyes watering a bit. "Chuck I was afraid. I've been so afraid. Scared of loving you and what it would mean."

"Then you understand that I am scared now" he replied, gently but firmly. "You understand that I can't do this. Betting on us would be downright self-destructive for me at this point and after everything that's happened between us."

"What can I do to prove to you how serious I am about us?" she asked. "Just say it and I'll do it."

He was quiet for almost a minute.

"I don't know" he then said. "I honestly haven't got a clue. Trust can be regained but faith? I have no faith anymore. I'm sorry."

"I'm in love with you" she said. "You can have faith in that."

"That's an odd thing to say so shortly after you told me you're _not_ in love with me and that I don't have your heart anymore. If your goal was to push me away for good then I think you succeeded. Blair we cannot have a healthy relationship like this. If we got back together now I would spend every minute questioning your feelings for me and just waiting for that moment when a better option presents itself and you leave me behind again. In the end that would drive you to doing exactly that even if that wasn't your intention at the start. Let's just walk away and salvage what we may."

"I can't. I spent far too much time running from what I truly want and from the future it could bring."

"Then you must not have wanted it to begin with."

"I do. I have. I always have wanted this but it's not always as easy as black and white. I needed some time but I'm in the right place now. I promise you, you have nothing to worry about with Dan or with anyone else. Never again."

"Blair you don't even seem to understand why I'm hesitant. Why I didn't take you back with open arms up on that rooftop. It's like you don't even see me. With that in mind how can I trust that you really want _me_?"

"Chuck I know how you feel right now" Blair said. "Like we've both said, it's about being afraid. No one knows what that is like and how it makes you think better than I do. Look at me Chuck and trust me on this. There comes a point when that fear goes away and it's replaced by a fear of a different kind. A fear that you're too late. That's where I am right now and believe me, that is the worst fear of all."

"Maybe" Chuck said. "But it can't hurt any worse than the things I have already gone through."

"I'm not giving up on you" Blair said, taking a step back as she realized he was getting ready to end the conversation. "Take the time you need. I'll be here. Always."

He nodded slightly, unsure of how else to respond. He hated the way he was feeling in this moment, standing there with her when all she wanted was for them to start over. There was a part of him that had been so happy and excited when she had shown up downstairs. A part of him that felt like his most desperate dreams were about to come true. He hated being unable to enjoy that and being unable to forget everything else and just dare to be happy. Too many previous occasions where he had been burned stopped him. He couldn't let himself fall into that same trap again. Especially not if he wanted to prove to Bart that he was more than what his father saw and that he was stronger and more capable than Bart gave him credit for.

"Will you be staying in Paris?" Blair asked.

"Not for long. We'll move on to other cities, other casinos."

"I'll be keeping an eye on you" she said. "I won't let you get away from me this time. Take your time… but know that I am here."

He closed the door and sighed heavily, his eyes drifting to his bed. All he had to do was open that door and ask her to come in and within a few minutes he would be on that bed with her, kissing, touching. It would be glorious. At least until morning and the point where they had to function outside of the bed. Getting back together with someone you loved shouldn't mean fear of awkwardness the morning after. It should be like when they got together after high school. Nothing but joy and excitement. If they couldn't have a reunion like that he would rather not have one at all.

Loosening his white bowtie he walked through the room back to the bed. He should clear his head and focus on the game ahead. If Blair meant what she said she would wait for him. Right now he needed to put everything into getting revenge on his father.

* * *

"I hope you can keep your head in the game" Jack said the following day as Chuck took his seat by the table, placing a stack of chips on the green mat in front of him. "After everything last night…"

"I'm focused" Chuck said.

"Good. No better way to prove the old man wrong than to completely zone out Blair Waldorf, huh?"

Chuck ignored the comment and waved to a waiter. The man came over and Chuck asked him to bring a glass of scotch. They still needed to raise another ten million at the least before they could move to the next step of the plan. The last thing he wanted to do was discuss Blair, having made up his mind the night before not to think about her until he had shown Bart Bass that ousting him from the company was a huge mistake. Bart had taken on a lot of enemies over the years but never his own son and he probably had no idea just how ruthless Chuck could be when provoked.

"Don't get too comfortable" Jack said, stretching his back and looking around the room. "I figure about an hour of blackjack is appropriate and then we'll move on to baccarat. You know how to play that, right?"

"Whatever game you want me to play it's fine" Chuck said, taking a sip of scotch from the tumbler that had just been placed beside him.

"Both at the casino and in the real world, I hope. Now… Focus, nephew."

Chuck did his best to do exactly that but it was far from easy. As much as he tried to ignore Blair she was on his mind every minute and there was a part of him that resented her for it. He had been doing better, had begun to move on with his life and finally let her go and then she had shown up and messed with his head all over again. It could be that she was serious and that if he took her back now they would be together forever but he needed more from her than her willingness to be with him again. He needed some recognition of the hurtful things she had done because without it he wasn't sure he could feel confident that she knew how it had affected him and that she wouldn't put him through it again. He needed to be able to trust her feelings for him and he needed to have something else in his life beside her to lean on. In the past he had made her everything important and by doing so he had been lost when he lost her. This time he knew he needed to have enough going on that he could stand on his own two feet without her, emotionally and financially.

In his mind he went through possible conversation after possible conversation with her, as much as he tried not to. He imagined the things he would want her to say and do to make him believe in her again, he imagined himself flat-out telling her every hurtful detail of how her behavior had affected him, he imagined them eloping together and he imagined himself walking away from her for good. It seemed like every possible future scenario ran through his head. He tried his best to focus on the game and not clue Jack in to where his mind was at but when he lost $500 000 on what should have been a safe bet he let out an exasperated sigh and emptied his tumbler in just a few gulps.

"Easy, tiger" Jack said. "Less drinking and more focusing."

"I am focused" Chuck sulked.

"Focus better, then. Do you want me to take over for a while?"

"We both know you're far too impulsive to be the one controlling the cards."

"Then channel your bitterness and vengefulness into the card game" Jack said. "Show both Bart and Blair that you don't need either one of them."

"I don't need anyone" Chuck said, waving another waiter over to get a refill on his scotch. "I just need a bit of luck with the cards."

Jack made a noise like he didn't believe him. Chuck placed his bet on the next round and filled his cheeks with air, slowly letting it out in a long exhale. His mind had already left the game and gone back to Blair. Had he made a mistake last night turning her down? Why couldn't his mind and heart just leave the matter alone? He had thought he was done tormenting himself over this but apparently there was still mileage on this particular vehicle. Jack was right. He needed to channel his emotions into the plan to take on Bart and he ought to be focusing more on his frustration with his father than his frustration with Blair. Either Blair would be there still when he was done taking down Bart or she would have never stayed to begin with. It was as simple as that.

* * *

Blair sat on a divan in her mother's Paris house, work samples from some of the best designers spread out on the coffee table in front of her. She should be focused on finding the one best suited for Waldorf Designs and going after that person until she had him or her on the payroll but she couldn't concentrate. The events at the casino had stirred her up and she couldn't put them from her mind.

Chuck had rejected her. Again. In high school he had frequently pushed her away but since then he had always been there when she wanted him to be. She had been surprised enough when he had turned her down that night at the Empire but when she had made her grand gesture without a favorable outcome it had really shook her. She had thought he would be happy to get back together, that he was still waiting for her. He loved her. She knew she had given him some mixed signals in the past year but he had said himself that there were no more secrets between them and that there was nothing left that needed to be resolved. When she had spoken to him earlier on the day when she made her final decision he had been hoping that she had left Dan and was coming back to him. For him to turn around and change his mind in just a few hours unsettled her and when he had walked away from the craps table it had made her lose her footing.

This was different from high school yet in a way the same. Once more he was afraid of giving his heart to her even though they both knew she had it anyway. In high school nothing she had tried had made any difference; he had not come to her until he was ready to. She wasn't comfortable employing that strategy now. She intended to wait for him but she most definitely didn't intend to just wait around and do nothing. He needed something from her but she wasn't sure what it was yet and maybe he didn't know either. Once she figured out what it was and gave it to him he would be hers again. They could be together and stop wasting time and start building the future they both knew would make them the happiest.

She knew she had hurt him over the past few months. What she didn't understand now was why he wouldn't let her make up for it. She had been lost and afraid and too weary to deal with everything that came with being Chuck and Blair, Blair and Chuck so she had opted for something simpler, something that demanded nothing of her because it didn't matter to her if it sank or if it swam. Being with Dan was the safest she had ever been because he didn't matter enough to be able to hurt her. He was someone who wanted to coddle her and save her and be her white knight and she had gladly let him. How he felt and what he needed from her had barely ever entered her mind. She had wanted to be in that relationship but she had not been emotionally invested the way she had been with any of her previous boyfriends. Looking back now she could see that "rebound" was probably the best word for it. She had lost Louis and she had been afraid to be with Chuck so she had taken the love she couldn't express to either of them and assigned it to someone who would never actually have her heart and therefore could do whatever he wanted with it without risking any real damage. Whether or not that was fair to Dan was not something that would keep her up at night. He had known full well what he got himself into. He had been there through her engagement with Louis, her running away with Chuck, her pact with God and her wedding. He knew how much she loved Chuck and that whatever love was left in her heart had been given to Louis and he had still been the one to drive their relationship status forward. He had known all along that he didn't have her heart when they got together, and if he didn't he was too blind to see her for who she truly was. Dan was not a romantic factor in her life now and he never genuinely had been. It was always about Chuck. Always had been and always would be. She knew that now without the shadow of a doubt.

The question remained, how would she win Chuck back? When grand gestures and promises of love and faithfulness didn't do the trick she wasn't sure what tactics to employ. One had to be careful when dealing with the emotions of Charles Bass. One wrong move and he might add another layer to those walls of his. She didn't want to be too aggressive but at the same time she couldn't retreat too far either. He needed to know every moment that she was there, fighting for him and for their love.

"Blair, darling, you've been looking at those same sheets of designs for the past twenty minutes" Eleanor said, walking into the room with sketches from yet another designer in her hands.

"Just being thorough" Blair replied. She didn't want her mother to think she wasn't completely focused on Waldorf Designs.

"Being thorough would involve actually opening the portfolios and looking at the designs" Eleanor pointed out, placing the portfolio in her hand in front of her daughter.

"There's a lot you can tell from an artist's work by just looking at the cover" Blair claimed, barely aware of what she was saying. She reached forward and grabbed a portfolio, opening it with as much interest as she could muster. "From what I've seen so far none of these feels right for the company."

"Maybe if you look at their actual designs you might get a better idea" Eleanor replied dryly. "Is your head in the game?"

"Of course. Always."

"If it's not it's not the end of the world" Eleanor generously said. "When I gave the company to you I didn't expect you to uproot yourself and come to Paris in just a week. If you need time then take it."

"I don't need time" Blair insisted, flipping through the designs. "I just… need a minute to figure out how to multi-task. There is still one piece missing before the puzzle of my life is complete."

"Would that missing piece be a man?" Eleanor asked, lifting her glasses off her nose.

"A soulmate" Blair said. "The person I need standing by my side, who will encourage and support me as I plan to courage and support him."

"Maybe if you're lucky you'll find him in one of those portfolios" Eleanor said dryly.

"Please, Mother. We both know it's not a matter of _finding_ him."

"Perhaps not but if you're not out trying to reel him back in you might want to put a little more of your concentration to finding a new designer."

Eleanor walked out of the room and Blair gave her a look as she went. When the sound of her mother's clicking heels had diminished she sighed and tossed the portfolio back on the table. It was no use. Until she had a plan in place she couldn't concentrate.

* * *

Three weeks went by. He travelled around Europe with Jack, raising funds for their revenge project. She stayed in Paris, doing her best to concentrate on Waldorf Designs and everything she had to learn in order to run it, but always keeping an eye on his location. She had paid a private investigator to follow him wherever he went and update her on his location and his undertakings. With each update she got she felt a knot in her stomach, worried that the investigator would tell her about how he was seen with this woman or that woman and even though she knew that if he was seen with someone else it was just about brief companionship and sex she didn't want to think about it. The thought of him being with someone else, even for just a night, was nauseating. She didn't even realize at first that it made her into something of a hypocrite as she had put him through watching her marry another man, carry that man's child and later have a very public affair/relationship with yet another man. The more she thought back on what she had been doing the previous year the more she marveled at how Chuck had been able to stand it and how he hadn't walked away much sooner.

When Midsummer drew near the two Bass men returned to France. They had raised a substantial amount of money at that point and she wasn't entirely sure why they were revisiting France and not going back to New York but she aimed to find out for herself. Chuck was back in her city and she was going to go and see him.

They had been apart for almost a month. Ample time for him to think about her offer and hopefully reach a place where he was ready to be together again.

* * *

"We met our financial goal and exceeded it by five million" Jack grinned widely, leaning back in the wicker chair at the café where they were having breakfast.

"I'm not surprised" Chuck said, eyes locked on his computer screen where he was reading a collection of articles about what his father had been up to in the past month.

"Are you okay? You've barely touched your mimosa."

"I'm fine" Chuck said. "I'm focused. Now we reach the hard part. Crafting the perfect plan to take down Bart Bass."

"I love it when you say his full name instead of calling him Pops" Jack guffawed, as if Chuck had ever used such a word when speaking of his father. "When we do get our vengeance, can't you call him Bartholomew? I would love seeing the look on his face."

"You have such simple pleasures" Chuck said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, now I see why you're not touching the mimosa" Jack said.

"What do you mean?"

"You mean you didn't order that fine bottle of Dom that's approaching our table?"

With a confused frown Chuck looked up from the computer and spotted the waitress approaching them with a champagne bottle in her hands.

"Must be for the table next to ours."

"The one no one is sitting at?" Jack scoffed.

"Monsieur Bass?" the waitress said as she reached them.

Chuck nodded, eyeing the champagne bottle suspiciously.

"This was sent for you" she said in French, placing the bottle on the table in front of him. "Along with this."

She handed him a card and walked away. Chuck eyed her retreating figure suspiciously and then studied the card. It was small and white with no patterns or decorations. He opened it and found Blair's dainty handwriting.

"What does it say?" Jack asked.

"Nothing" Chuck said, not in the mood to share it with him. "Just a '_Welcome back to Paris_' gift from a friend of mine."

"I didn't know you had such good friends in Paris."

"Neither did I."

He put the card away and ignored the bottle for the time being. His eyes returned to the computer screen where he had open an article about Bart and Lily attending a barbecue at the marina. His focus was somewhat less than it had been a few minutes ago and his mind almost immediately went back to the writing on the card.

"_Welcome back to Paris. I hope we can rendezvous before you head out again. All my chips are still on the table. XO XO._"

"So should we crank open this baby?" Jack grinned, gripping the bottle.

"Leave it alone" Chuck said without looking up from the computer screen. "We're saving it. It could make for a sweet celebration when we win over my father."

"Or we could just buy another bottle for that occasion."

"Focus Jack. It's nine in the morning and we have a lot of work to do. I need your brain sharp, not muddled by champagne, no matter how fine it is."

"As you wish" Jack said, putting the bottle back down on the table. "What do you say we pay the check and get the hell out of here in favor of some place with air-conditioning? I know it's late June but it's getting annoyingly hot."

"Sure" Chuck said, clicking down the article. "We'll go back to the hotel. We need to craft our plan and it has to be the best one yet."

"We're two great Bass minds" Jack smirked. "How can it be anything but?"

"There's just one small problem" Chuck pointed out as he got up and gathered his things. "Bart is also a Bass. Bass minds think alike."

"You're saying we should outsource?"

"Or at least think outside the box. I was hoping we could get Lily to help us out on this one but it seems she's decided to give Bart a second chance. Either she actually cared about him more than I thought or maybe she's just tired of having waffles for breakfast every day." He put his computer bag over his shoulder and grabbed the champagne bottle with his other hand. "Bart is probably on his best behavior with her at the present so I don't think he's going to slip up and if she wants their marriage to work out I'm not going to disrespect her by telling her she should join forces with us instead."

"Forget about Lily" Jack snorted, making his way through the tables to the door. "I know she's the answer to all of your mommy issues but she's hardly the kind of person who could be of use in a good take-down."

"She took you down" Chuck reminded him.

"Lily's not an option" Jack said, a bit sullen at being reminded of what had happened at the opera. "Try using your own devious mind instead."

"I have a few ideas."

"Good." They walked outside and Jack grinned widely. "If any of them involve forcing Bart back into hiding I won't be complaining."

"I'm not out to humiliate him" Chuck said. "I'm out to get back what he stole from me and prove to him that he's wrong about me."

"Right. But it would be so much sweeter if he's utterly humiliated in the process."

"The two of you must have had the oddest childhood" Chuck remarked, shaking his head slightly.

They walked back towards their hotel, Jack continuing to talk about the different ways he wouldn't mind seeing Bart publically humiliated. Chuck listened but didn't feel comfortable with it. In spite of everything he still did love his father and the idea of publically humiliating him went against his every instinct. The end goal of this whole operation wasn't to crush Bart completely, at least not for him, at least not anymore. In the end he wanted Bart to be proud of him and to see what he was capable of and what he had accomplished. The rift between them was wide enough as was and even though he knew it was crazy to think it might work out that way there was a large part of him that hoped that when all the dust had settled they would be able to grow closer.

Unfortunately this was not a Disney Channel movie or an episode of a TV show where every episode had a Lesson To Be Learned. People in real life did not just change their ways after one incident or one speech made them see the light and the error of their ways. In all likelihood the outcome of all of this would be that Chuck lost whatever emotional contact he still had with his father.

He heard Jack say that deep down Chuck must want to see Bart run to the ground just as much as Jack did. Chuck had to admit that there must be some truth to what his uncle was saying. If not then he wouldn't be charging ahead with this plan knowing that the outcome might be that him and Bart lost sight of one another for good. If that was the price that came with getting Bass Industries back and proving Bart wrong then at the end of the day that was a price he was willing to pay.

* * *

Very slowly a plan began to take form. There were a million holes to it and they would not be able to launch it before having it being completely airtight but there were some parts that could be instigated already. One of them was Chuck making sure he was seen out on the town, drinking and womanizing and generally acting like the teenage playboy who never grew up. He wanted to take Bart off guard and as Jack had pointed out, playing into his father's expectations of him would give him all the room he needed to mastermind the scheme without his father suspecting a thing. Bart would have no problem believing the worst about him so it would probably not take a lot of effort at all.

He went out to one of the hottest restaurants in Paris, a fairly new place named after its head chef, someone Chuck had never even heard of. It was the kind of establishment where you dressed up nicely and behaved yourself so Chuck went there together with a crowd of people of which he only knew two, and didn't even know them very well. His company for the evening were all party animals, two of the women were strippers and none of them had any inhibitions whatsoever. Chuck pretended to have a blast even though he was more and more beginning to feel like this kind of lifestyle was way behind him.

To make sure Bart knew about the evening he had taken two steps. One was to have Jack send an anonymous tip to some of the paparazzi and the other was to make sure they were loud and obnoxious and that he probably wouldn't be welcome there ever again. It worked like a charm. By ordering in a large Jack Daniels before he had even taken a seat at the table he was able to misdirect his dinner company and give them the impression that he was drinking as much as they were even though all he actually had with his food was the water put out on the table. He was therefore practically sober all evening and could control it any way he wanted to.

Their dinner lasted about an hour before they were asked to leave. One of the women, Dominique, came up and wrapped her arms around his neck, cooing like a dove and pressing her chest up against him.

"Looks like we need to take this party elsewhere" she cooed in French. "I know the perfect place to continue it…"

"Tell me more" he replied, pretending to be interested even though her tricks did nothing to arouse him.

"I have a loft not far from here…"

"I'm not a fan of lofts."

"Are you a fan of art? Or of naked women?" She smirked and pressed her chest to him even more. "I model for one of the art schools. Some of the students have given me their paintings of me. You could take a look and tell me if the paintings do me justice."

That didn't sound the least bit interesting. Not that she wasn't attractive but he had grown rather tired of women like her who seemed to be broadcasting their sexuality at all times. It was more fun and more alluring when you didn't get everything served to you at once.

"Sounds great" he said anyway.

She smiled and wrapped her arm around his waist, walking with him through the room. He planned on following her to her place and then leaving as soon as he possibly could but for now he played the part of the excited party animal eager to get home to her place and subsequently get lucky. He knew the paparazzi were still outside the restaurant and he might as well give them a good show.

They stepped out into the foyer of the restaurant, laughing together at something she had said which wasn't particularly funny. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Blair standing ten feet away, dressed in a gorgeous apricot dress, her hair and makeup arranged for an elegant night out. Her cherry lips were parted in a surprised expression, her big eyes looking at him with surprise and disappointment. What on earth was she doing there?

"Some other time, Dominique" he said, dropping his act immediately and dismissing her without a second thought.

"It's a shame" Dominique said, looking at Blair like she was far beneath them both.

She walked off with her friends, casting a lingering look at Chuck who didn't notice. Blair had closed her mouth and looked like she was battling with her pride. He walked closer to her and wondered if she was going to turn around and walk away.

"Fancy running in to you here" he said, knowing it sounded lame but fresh out of better things to say.

"Yes" she replied. "Certainly surprising."

She had gone there knowing full well that he would be there but given what she had just seen there was no way she would let him know that. It hurt enough as it was without revealing that while he was leaving dinner parties with scantily clad women named Dominique she was dressing to the nines to stage a run-in with him at a restaurant in the hopes of getting the chance to speak with him and get an idea where his mind and heart was at.

"Jack and I still need a real plan" he said, surprising her by what seemed like a non-sequiteur. "While we craft it I've begun my act of misdirection. I want Bart to think that he was right about me and that I've gone back to parties and loose women and acting out. That way he won't see me coming."

"Did it ever occur to you to just point out to him the hypocrisy of his judging you for that kind of lifestyle when the reason we found out he was still alive was that we caught him at a brothel?" Blair asked.

Chuck laughed a little but there was no joy in it.

"Like most of us he is blind to his own faults and hypocrisies" he said.

"Maybe I shouldn't keep you" Blair said. "Your… friend is probably waiting for you."

"I sure hope not" he said with half a chuckle. "I thought it might be useful if the paparazzi got a shot of me leaving with a random woman but to tell you the truth I was having a hard time coming up with a good excuse to leave her as soon as we got to her place."

Blair smiled a little, relieved at what he was saying. She wanted to believe he was telling the truth and saw no reason why he would be lying. While he knew where she stood and how she felt he had made no commitment to her and was a free agent. He hadn't given her any promises or any encouragements and was free to sleep with, or date, whomever he chose. She just wasn't sure how she would handle something like that but she knew she would have to bear it. Like he had had to bear watching her marry Louis and date Humphrey. Suddenly the thought of that, and how it must have affected him, made her cringe inwardly.

"I should let you get to your dinner" he said. "It was nice running into you."

She opened her mouth to reply but could think of nothing good to say. She closed her mouth again and nodded.

"It was nice seeing you too."

"Take care."

He walked past her and she turned to watch him go. When he walked out into the streets she saw him put on a performance like he was drunk and heading for some other place to party. She hoped this would not all come back to bite him. It seemed like a poor strategy when the endgame was for Bart to take him seriously and see that he _had_ changed.

She stood there and watched him until he disappeared from sight. Then she walked inside the restaurant, figuring she might as well eat since she was there. Or maybe order food to go. Eating alone at a four star restaurant seemed a bit too sad.

* * *

Chuck and Jack stayed in Paris for another two weeks, crafting their plan but both of them knowing that it was still far from being good enough. Not that they didn't have a lot of ideas but everything they could come up with seemed like something Bart would be able to see coming. They needed something unpredictable. Eventually Jack grew restless and wanted a change of venue, deciding that they should either go to his place in Australia and see if they could rally troops there, or they should go back to New York and put the finishing touches back home. Chuck preferred to wait with returning until they had a plan to set into motion but Jack argued that if they came back and did nothing to retaliate against Bart at first they might be able to lure him into a false sense of security.

After being pestered by Jack for two days Chuck finally agreed to go back to the US. They seemed to be stuck with their plan and a change of scenery might be beneficiary. If nothing else, maintaining his lecherous image would certainly be more convenient back home where all he needed to do was spend a few nights at week at Victrola and call a few prostitutes he knew and ask them to come over to the Empire every so often. They could always entertain Nate or just hang out. The important thing was what Bart would think.

He spent his last Parisian afternoon in his hotel room, a large suitcase open on his bed while he packed. It would be kind of nice to return home. He hadn't seen Nate in a while, Monkey had been at a kennel for long enough that he might have forgotten his master and he hadn't been able to get a hold of Serena since he left. Resuming his life back home might be just what he needed to get some inspiration for the take-down.

There was a knock on the door and he went to open, expecting to find Jack but seeing Blair standing there instead. She was wearing a light summer dress and a straw hat on her head. Under the brim of the hat he could see a few beads of sweat. Was it that hot outside today?

"Hey" he said, surprised to see her.

"Hi."

"This was unexpected" he remarked.

"Is this a bad time?"

"No" he said. "You just caught me packing. Jack and I fly back to New York tomorrow evening."

"I know" she said. "That's why I'm here. I know I promised to give you space but you're heading back across the Atlantic so you don't give me much of a choice." She cocked her neck and tried her best to look confident. "Can I come in?"

He stepped aside to let her enter, wondering why she was there. It felt a bit better seeing her now than it had when she showed up at the casino but he was still a bit wary and had his protective walls up. He had promised himself not to let her back in unless he had good reason to believe she was sincere about them and he had a reason to believe that she understood why he was hesitant.

"Just the one suitcase?" she remarked, left eyebrow raised. "Chuck Bass travels light these days."

"I have two more… They're in the other room."

"Oh good. For a moment there you had me worried."

"Why are you here, Blair?" he asked, walking closer to her. "I thought we had said everything there was to say between us."

"No" she said, turning around to face him. "No we haven't. Not by a long shot. Nothing has changed for me between now and when we were at the casino. I'm still all in. I still want this, _you_, more than I've wanted anything else."

He looked at her in silence and it made her hesitate a little. She could see in his eyes that he was resolved not to be persuaded by a bit of sweet talking. They were way past such things. What she needed to do was to find the right thing to say.

"Things are good with my mother's company" she said. "I like it. It's a good job for me. The only thing is… I miss you. I know I once said that I had to be Blair Waldorf before I could be Chuck Bass' girlfriend and that I needed to be strong and independent on my own. Finally it feels like I'm on my way to getting there, though I know I have a bit left to go, but being Blair Waldorf and running Waldorf Designs is not enough. I wake up every day feeling this huge void in my life and there's nobody else but you who can fill it."

She looked into his eyes and hoped to see him relenting at least a little but his face hadn't moved a muscle and his eyes hadn't changed a bit. She was beginning to think he didn't intend on saying anything at all to her when he finally spoke.

"There's just one thing I need to know…" Chuck said. "Why is this time different?"

Blair hesitated for a second, not sure at first that she had understood his question.

"Because you're different" she then said. "You've changed. Matured. You've become the man I always knew you could be; someone you have shown signs of being in the past but never stayed with. The difference now is that you've bettered yourself and grown up and you've done it for you. Not to win me back or to prove something to someone. That is why it's going to stick this time. Because you did it for you." Realizing she might be sounding like the person he had used to be was impossible to love she quickly continued. "_I_'_m_ different. Losing you and the future I thought we would have that year after high school broke me. It took me a long time to be ready to bet on us again and the point where I am now is the same point I was at six months ago when the accident happened, just as you suggested. Losing my baby in that accident and you being dead, it shook me to my very core. It made me panic. I think… I think I realized once and for all how devastating it would be and how horribly it would hurt if I lost you for good. So I didn't dare to be with you because the only way I could protect myself from that pain was to never allow myself the luxury of us being together. Like… Like a detox. Keeping you in my life but not an essential part of it. That way I always had a small part of you, hopefully enough to sustain me, and if something bad was to happen to you the loss wouldn't be so deafening."

"So you chose to lose by default?"

"Until I realized that by living my life that way I lost out on so much more. I'd rather love you and be with you and die from grief if you were taken from me than to never feel the happiness only you can bring and not give you all the love and happiness I have to offer in return. Not to mention I realized that no matter what it would still hurt to the point of insanity to lose you and if I didn't take the opportunity to spend my life with you then I would one day be looking back wondering why I threw away the best thing that ever happened to me and why I denied myself true happiness."

"I still don't understand."

"I'm sorry" Blair said.

"What?"

"I'm sorry for not taking your feelings and your wishes into account. I'm sorry for refusing to give you credit for your good deeds and your growth. I'm sorry for flaunting my new relationships in your face and showing so little regard for your feelings. I'm sorry for asking you to wait for me and then getting into a relationship with Humphrey. I'm sorry for the way I treated you after the car accident. I'm sorry for all the double-standards. I'm sorry for telling you I was no longer in love with you when nothing could be further from the truth. Most of all I'm sorry for acting like I took you for granted, and for perhaps not just acting like it, expecting you to take me back with open arms whenever it suited me." Her voice trembled a little as she finished her apology. "Also I'm sorry for putting you through the thing that scared me the most. Thinking you've lost the love of your life for good."

"Thank you" he said, his voice filled with so much emotion it almost brought tears to her eyes. "I never needed you to grovel or even to apologize… I just needed you to see me."

"I do see you" she said, a tear falling down her cheek. "And I know, trust me, I do. I know your fears and why you have them. At first it upset me that you wanted to get your company back from Bart or get something of your own to build a future on before you could be with me again but you were right to think that way. I was too wrapped up in myself and in my own emotions at that point. Now I see that what you need is good. It doesn't mean that you don't love me enough. It means that you can't make me the thing your whole life circles around and I think that's good. I don't want to be what holds your whole life together. I want us to be complete before we complete one another."

"I'm not ready to be _us_ again" he said. "I need to handle my unfinished business with Bart. As you say, I need to have my own future first."

"Then let me help" Blair said, taking a step closer. "Let me be there, every step of the way, as a friend. Let me be your best friend, the way I used to be."

He looked at her in silence for a moment, excitement at the prospect building inside him.

"Okay" he then said. "Just as friends."

"As friends" Blair nodded.

For the first time all summer Chuck smiled genuinely. Having Blair beside him without having to bet his heart again and without the pressure of rebuilding a relationship sounded like the best possible outcome for him right now. Maybe this was exactly what they needed to find their way back to one another and to find a place where they were both ready and comfortable. Rebuilding the friendship that had been lost.

"It's not going to be easy" he said. "Nor will it be glamorous."

"Basses fight dirty" Blair said. "Just like Waldorfs. Bart will never know what hit him."

"He'll be shocked, that's for sure" Chuck smiled. "He thinks Jack's and my relationship is far too frosty for us to be able to join forces."

"Just like Cassius and Brutus he'll discover that when you betray those closest to you triumvirates can form among the most unlikely of allies."

"I'm glad you came here to talk" Chuck said with a little laugh. "Not just because of the things you said to me… but because it seems we have just gained a very valuable ally."

"You can count on it."

"Jack and I need someone who's not a part of the family tree to help concoct this scheme, that much is clear by now."

"Bart may be able to see you two coming but he's never gone up against Blair Waldorf" Blair smirked. "Especially not Blair Waldorf on the warpath."

The idea of taking on Bart Bass thrilled her. She had had front-row seats to his treatment of Chuck over the years and knew better than anyone what the fallout had been. She had long since lost count of the times she had seen Chuck broken over something that had to do with his father, fighting day in and day out with the issues he never thought they would get to work out. Now that Bart had returned he had only made things worse and it angered Blair. She held him partially responsible for hers and Chuck's relationship failing. So many of Chuck's issues were the product of Bart Bass' parenting and she knew that if it hadn't been for Bart Chuck would probably have taken her back up on the roof of the Empire. Bart Bass was way overdue for being on the receiving end of a Blair Waldorf takedown.

"It will be glorious" she smiled, stepping closer to Chuck and plucking a stray hair from his shirt just as an excuse to touch him. "We're going to teach Bart a lesson he will never forget. And we're going to do it together."

* * *

Expect an update in a week or two. Let me know what you thought!


	2. Gambling on Friendship

This update is looooong... Almost 30 pages in Word (usually my chapters are around 10 – 15 pages). I hope it will be worth the time it takes to read it.

I got a lot of enthusiastic comments about seeing the Chuck/Blair/Jack scheme unfold. I should probably warn you that you won't be seeing much of it due to my current lack of inspiration. That's... pretty much all I have to say about their scheme beforehand =)

On with the chapter!

* * *

Jack made no comment when Blair showed up at the airport along with two heavy suitcases. Chuck had mentioned in passing that he had found them a co-conspirator and if he had any objections Jack for once kept them to himself. Chuck had not expected Blair to fly back to New York with them since she had Waldorf Designs to worry about but according to Blair Eleanor was already bored with retirement and wouldn't mind baby-sitting the company for a while. Plus she could still get a lot of work done from Manhattan even if the headquarters were now in Paris. She wanted to come with them and actively help out and she had no intention of missing this opportunity to be close to Chuck and work on rebuilding their foundation.

They didn't talk much during the flight, Blair occupying herself with fashion magazines and the in-flight movies while Chuck used up the batteries on his laptop going over more material about his father and Jack snored his way through a hangover. When they landed in New York it was the middle of the night but New York was indeed the city that never slept and the same could apparently be said for its citizens. They barely made it past baggage claim before Chuck's and Blair's phones went off at the same time. They shared a look and both fished out their phone to check what was undoubtedly a Gossip Girl blast.

"It's good to be home" Chuck noted dryly, opening the message.

What they saw made both of them stop, causing Jack to nearly trip over the bag Chuck was dragging behind him. They both ignored Jack's angry comments and stared at the video posted. Serena and Dan having sex at the Sheppard's divorce party. On the same spot where Serena and Nate had once had sex, six years ago.

"Oh my God…" Chuck mumbled, shocked my how Gossip Girl had posted something which was actually pornographic, even if the video ended just as Serena pulled Dan's pants down and he tried to wiggle her slip off.

"No…" Blair said. "This can't be."

"What is it now?" Jack said, barely interested. "Unless someone is pregnant or dead or really hot you shouldn't be staring so intently at that ridiculous blog. Especially at this hour. Does that chick ever sleep?"

"I can't believe this" Blair said. She angrily closed the message and grabbed a firm hold of her baggage cart. "Excuse me, Basses. I won't be riding with you back to the Empire. I have to find and _kill_ Serena van der Slutsen."

"Blair…" Chuck began.

"What did I miss?" Jack asked.

"Blair it's the middle of the night."

"Perfect time to go hunting skank. They're nocturnal!" Blair snarled.

"Blair, please."

"No, she is _dead_!" Blair cried. "Nothing can excuse her behavior this time."

She stormed off as fast as she could while pushing the baggage cart, not giving a damn who she ran into with it. Chuck and Jack watched her go, Chuck with a deep sense of dismay and Jack with a lot of annoyance.

"Guess it was a clever move not to get back together with her" Jack said, having grabbed Chuck's phone and eyeing the video. "Now that someone else has banged… well, whatever that curly guy's name is, she apparently wants him back."

"I suppose so" Chuck muttered.

Jack whistled.

"Forget about Blair and go for Serena instead. That girl is _hot_."

"Stop ogling my sister and send the blood back to your brain" Chuck said angrily, snatching the phone back. "We have work to do."

"Maybe we should invite Serena to join the scheme?"

"Right now all I plan on doing is going home and going to bed" Chuck said, trying to ignore the pain in his heart over Blair's reaction to the video. "I have to start my day early tomorrow. We have a scheme to perfect and I need to pick up Monkey at the kennel."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just leave him there?" Jack asked with a yawn. "You already have Archibald. How many pets do you need?"

"I advise you to try and get some sleep as well" Chuck said, ignoring the comments. "I need your brain sharp in the morning."

"Too bad we won't seem to be able to rely on Waldorf" Jack commented, slouching over his baggage cart as he pushed it along. "It's a shame. Her devious little brain could have been a lot of use to us."

"It is what it is" Chuck said. "Don't count her out of the game just yet."

"You saw her. She ran off in a hurry because that… curly guy cheated on her and now she's pissed."

"I am aware" Chuck snarled.

"Sorry. You're right, maybe we should get some sleep. Have the car drop me off at the Palace. I prefer staying there to camping at the Empire."

"It's probably best if we're at different hotels" Chuck mused. "The less contact we appear to have, the better."

"Is your driver picking us up?" Jack asked as they walked outside into the hot, humid New York night.

"The car is right over there" Chuck replied, pointing to the limo parked twenty meters from where they were walking.

"Tell him to drop me off first" Jack yawned.

Chuck shrugged and handed his baggage cart to the driver, turning to push in the handle of the suitcase he was dragging. He might as well drop Jack off first. Even though it was past midnight and he wouldn't be home for at least an hour he had a strong feeling he wouldn't be going to sleep very easily. Not when his heart was full of the pain he ought to have gotten adjusted to by now.

* * *

He arrived back at his penthouse at half past one in the morning. Traffic had been bad and it had taken ridiculously long to travel the distance between John F Kennedy airport and the hotel. He was tired and more than a little ready for bed when he walked inside followed by a valet bringing his suitcases up. The place was dark and he assumed Nate was either out or asleep which meant he would have some peace and quiet and get to be alone with his troublesome thoughts. It was just as well to wade waist-deep into his misery right away and get it over with in the hopes that tomorrow morning he would be able to focus.

He tipped the valet, barely aware of which president was on the bill he handed him, and walked through the penthouse to pour himself a nightcap. He chose one of the larger tumblers and the nearest bottle of scotch, not bothering with the ice. With a grim face he poured the drink, making sure it was a double.

"Hey" Nate's voice said behind him.

Chuck turned around, surprised to hear the voice and even more surprised to see that Nate was still fully dressed in dress pants and a light blue Hugo Boss shirt.

"Hey" he replied. "What are you still doing up? It's the middle of the night in the middle of the week."

"I wasn't expecting you back" Nate said. "I'm glad you're back. Things have gotten really dull around here with everyone out of town."

"I'm afraid it's going to stay dull for a while. Operation Eject Bart Bass begins at the break of dawn and that's all that matters to me until further notice."

"Wow" Nate said. "So you and Jack raised enough funds?"

"More than Jack initially planned on" Chuck answered, taking a sip of scotch and finding to his irritation that it did nothing to soothe him.

"That's great. I must say though I'm a little surprised… I know you said you were done with Blair but somehow I still half-expected you to nurse your pride for a few weeks and let her sweat for a while and then you guys would be back together and I would be forced to start sleeping with ear plugs again."

"Nothing is going to disturb your sleep except for Monkey" Chuck said, trying to sound as casual as humanly possible. "I pick him up tomorrow."

"So nothing between you and Blair then, huh? That's too bad. I was hoping to get the scoop on the hottest new couple in town."

"I'm not the one on Blair's mind" Chuck said, hoping his voice didn't betray his bitterness. "She's back in New York and I'm not the one she's running after."

"That video was pretty intense."

"You saw that?" Chuck asked stupidly.

"Yeah, the blast woke me up."

Instead of commenting that he clearly hadn't gone to bed yet at all since he was still in his day attire Chuck focused on imbibing more alcohol in the hopes of reaching the stage where nothing hurt anymore. The curious and sympathetic look on Nate's face irritated him but he couldn't think of anything to say to make that face go away.

"I've got to tell you, I think what Serena did is really low" Nate said. "Not just to Blair but you recognized the setting didn't you? That's the place where she took my virginity. I thought it was sacred, just for us. Like you and Blair and the limo."

"There is no 'me and Blair'" Chuck said.

"And with Dan?" Nate continued to complain, paying no attention to what Chuck was saying. "I mean isn't Serena and Dan like… so last year?"

"I thought Blair and Dan were so last month" Chuck said, finishing his scotch. "I never learn, do I? She took off so fast that there was just a cloud of dust left behind her, off to brutally kill Serena for sleeping with Dan and then home to cry into her pillow over the hairball's betrayal. Seems like Dan is getting both of them at the moment."

"Ouch" Nate said, making a face.

"Luckily I don't care" Chuck lied, slamming the tumbler down on the bar. "It's late at night, actually early in the morning my time, and in a few hours I have to be at my very sharpest. I'm going to bed and I'm shutting off my phone so that I won't get any further annoying blasts from Gossip Girl. Doesn't that bitch know decent people need their sleep? What the hell is with the late night blast in the middle of the week?"

Realizing he probably wasn't even almost fooling Nate he made his way to the bedroom, walking slightly unsteadily thanks to the combination of alcohol and jetlag. He kicked off his shoes, let his pants fall to the floor and began to unbutton his shirt while yanking the bedspread aside. After brushing his teeth fast enough that he might as well not even have bothered he stumbled back out into his bedroom and collapsed on the bed, leaving his half-buttoned shirt on and pulling the comforter up around him.

* * *

His meeting with Jack the following morning ended up being fairly brief. It was clear that they were stuck and couldn't come up with anything good enough. After spending the better part of two hours arguing with each other they finally decided to just call it quits for now and spend a few days apart, each trying to think of something brilliant in the meantime. Chuck ate a brief lunch with Nate and then went to the kennel to pick up Monkey. At least the dog was beside himself with joy of seeing him, barking excitedly with his tail wagging so fast it was just a furry blur. For the first few minutes Chuck had to fend him off a bit and prevent him from jumping up and licking him on the face. As much as Chuck liked his dog he thought dog kisses were gross, at least on his face, and he didn't care to have dirty paws all over his suit.

Hoping to clear his mind he took Monkey for a long walk through Central Park. It seemed they hadn't given him enough stimulation at the kennel since Chuck could not remember the last time Monkey had been this energetic. Forty-five minutes into the walk his phone beeped and he eagerly fished it out of his pocket, hating himself for hoping that it was Blair. Of course it turned out to be Gossip Girl instead.

He knew it was a mistake to read the blast the moment he opened the text. Still it felt like it would be better to know than to wonder what it said. There was a picture of Blair somewhere in Brooklyn, the text implying that she had gone searching for Dan and hadn't found him. Gossip Girl went on to speculate that perhaps poor Queen B had realized too late that Dan was the one in her heart and blah, blah sob story. Practically growling he put his phone away and decided he had had enough of the park. Monkey was not as eager to go back to the Empire as his master and Chuck felt himself getting even more irritated.

"Monkey!" he more or less barked as the dog tried to pull in the opposite direction of where they were going. "We're going home. _Heel_."

Monkey whimpered and then tried to set off in the other direction again. Chuck firmly pulled on the leash. He was beginning to think it had been a mistake to leave the dog at the kennel. He had spent quite a lot of time raising Monkey to know who the master was and to obey. He had never had any respect for dog owners who let their pets call the shots. Now it seems everything he had tried to teach the dog had gone right out the window.

"No more vacations for you" he commented when Monkey finally trotted up to walk next to him. "There's a good boy."

* * *

Blair walked inside Chuck's penthouse suite that evening, feeling murderous and more frustrated than ever. Serena was nowhere to be found. No doubt had she gone into hiding when she realized how furious Blair would be. Blair knew this video ending up on Gossip Girl was no accident; Serena had deliberately filmed herself and Dan having sex and the only reason she would have done such a thing was to hurt Blair. The war was on, more so than ever before and as soon as Blair got her hands on Serena she would destroy her.

Chuck was alone in the penthouse, save for Monkey who was on the couch, thumping his tail on the cushion. Blair paid no attention to the dog nor to the look on Chuck's face or the tumbler in his hand.

"Not only is Serena a bitch who can't keep her panties on" Blair snarled. "She's also a coward and seriously _evil_. She did this on purpose and for no other reason than to hurt me and now she can't be found anywhere, refusing me the right to my rightful revenge. She's gone into hiding. How lame is that?"

"What do you mean she can't be found?" Chuck asked.

"What does it sound like I mean?" Blair asked angrily, setting her purse down on the pool table.

"Have you looked at her favorite spots? Called? E-mailed? Tweeted?"

"Yes, of course I have. Dorota has been trying to track her down all afternoon but so far nothing."

"That's not good" Chuck said, getting his phone out to dial one of his PIs.

"It's just unbelievable that she would release such a bomb and then skip town! She knows I won't be able to eat or sleep until I've retaliated."

"Hold on for a minute, Blair."

Nearly bursting with anger Blair impatiently listened as he spoke with one of his PIs and asked him to track down Serena as soon as possible. She paid little attention to the very worried look on his face while he died another number.

"I'm going to give Nate a call" he said. "Ask if he's seen her."

"Don't trust him if he says he hasn't" Blair said. "He's always had a thing for her. He's probably on her side, protecting her."

"Blair this is a little more serious than your current vendetta" Chuck said, getting no answer and hanging up the phone. "This is not the first time Serena has been out of reach this summer. I've tried calling her three times since I left New York and I've always gotten her voicemail. I didn't think much of it since it's summer and I thought she might be off doing something more fun than taking calls from her overseas stepbrother. Now I'm starting to get concerned."

"What, _you_'_re_ on her side?"

"My sister appears to have gone missing" Chuck said angrily, not in the mood to have her talk to him that way after everything that had happened between them in the past two days. "Forgive me if I think finding her and making sure that she's okay is a little bit more important than your fight of the month."

"This is not just a fight" Blair said, hurt and angered by his words. "She deeply violated my privacy by not only reading put _scanning_ my diaries! Posting them on Gossip Girl for the whole world to see my most intimate thoughts! Now it turns out she slept with my boyfriend for the _second time_."

"I give her the benefit of the doubt. She told me she never meant for your diaries to end up on Gossip Girl and I believe her. As for Dan, you know how she feels about him so while I get that you're mad it might just be a case of two people with strong feelings for each other who got caught up in the moment. I seem to remember us being in a similar position almost exactly a year prior to this thing with Serena and Dan."

"Don't be such a gullible fool!" Blair cried. "This has nothing to do with Serena feeling anything for _Dan_. This is all about her getting revenge on _me_. Who do you think filmed it? That would be Serena. Who do you think initiated it? I'll bet everything it was Serena and no way was she doing it out of lust or for physical pleasure. You don't sleep with Humphrey to get sexual gratification, you sleep with him to shut him up and make him go to sleep real fast afterward. Serena did this to hurt me, not pleasure herself. Not only that, it happened in the _exact same spot_ where she deflowered Nate. That is _not_ just a coincidence, Chuck."

"Regardless, the fact that she is now _missing_ is rather alarming!"

"You have to choose a side" Blair said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Right now. Me or Serena, Bass."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that. Expecting me to choose between you and my _sister_ is-"

"She's not your sister! She was Bart's stepdaughter for fifteen minutes."

"She's my _sister_" Chuck said with emphasis. "I love her. I'm not going to stop loving either one of you because you're mad at each other so don't expect me to."

"Just don't tell me you side with her on this" Blair said, backing down a bit when she realized she had said something she shouldn't.

"I understand that you're hurt" Chuck said. "Anyone would be. Understand though that it's a little hard for me to be fully sympathetic over the fact that Humphrey broke your heart by cheating on you with my sis."

"What?" Blair said. "Humphrey has nothing to do with this."

"Oh no? I thought that was the whole reason you were mad. Because your boyfriend and your former best friend had sex. Seeing as how you ended your friendship with Serena and kicked her out before this sad attempt at a home porn movie happened I can only assume it's Dan you're really hurt over."

"Who the hell cares about Dan Humphrey?" Blair asked, sounding surprisingly genuine if a bit weary. "Yes it angers me that he cheated on me but he didn't break my heart because he never had it in the first place. Serena on the other hand…"

Chuck softened a bit and put a hand on her shoulder, feeling relieved and surprised by her words but not ready to fully trust it just yet.

"Why don't we just try our best to find Serena and make sure she's not in any physical harm or danger" he said. "No matter how angry you are I know that you don't _seriously_ wish for her to be in any sort of trouble."

"She violated my privacy, Chuck" Blair said, suddenly starting to cry. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to have your every private thought published for the whole world to see? On top of that she sleeps with Dan just so she can film it and put it up on Gossip Girl to break us up. Dan and I were over anyway but she didn't know that." The tears turned into sobs. "It's like I don't know her anymore. It's like I've lost all the people that matter this year. I lost my baby. I lost Louis. I thought Dan was my friend no matter what but I lost him. I lost you. Now I find out I've really lost Serena too."

He found himself surprisingly low on sympathy, knowing very well that she didn't so much _lose_ him or Louis or Serena as she had carelessly thrown them aside. As much as he loved her he wasn't going to overlook her mistakes or faults nor did he have any desire to enable her or her weird new ideas of the values of friendship. At the same time she did look truly upset and as much as he hated to he had to admit that it would be pretty difficult for anybody to watch a video of your best friend sleeping with the person you were dating, even if that person was not the love of your life.

"I know it's difficult" he said. "What is lost is lost. All you can do now is decide which people you can and want to win back and then go from there."

"How can I ever be real friends with Serena again after this?"

He held his tongue rather than pointing out her blatant hypocrisy. There was something else he needed to know instead.

"Maybe it's not such a good idea that you try and help Jack and me right now" he said. "Your mind is clearly elsewhere and I think you need some time to yourself with neither me nor Dan around so you can sort out your feelings."

"What for?" she sniveled, beginning to pull herself together.

"Clearly you haven't gotten over him. If you want us to have a future, any kind of future, you need to be finished with all of your exes first. I'm just not setting myself up for another round of you fluttering back towards Nate or Dan or whoever you might still be hooked up on."

"I told you this is not about Dan" Blair said, her tears subsiding and her anger returning slightly. "Not in the sense that I've got lingering feelings for him. He was just the tool Serena used to hurt me and it worked."

"Exactly. If you felt nothing for Dan it wouldn't hurt to know that he cheated, regardless of who it was with."

"It hurts because Serena reopened old wounds from back in high school. You know how much it hurt me when I found out about her and Nate. She went back and reenacted one of the things that have hurt me the most just because she wanted to stick the knife in deep. This is about her, not Dan. I could care less who Dan sleeps with even though I am royally pissed that he felt the need to do it while we were still together."

"I don't know what to believe" Chuck said.

"You can believe me when I say I chose what my heart truly wants. I had no idea Dan cheated on me when I chose you. I just didn't want to be with him. I wanted you and that's never going to change."

"I know you went to Brooklyn today. I saw it on Gossip Girl."

"To see if Serena was hiding at the loft but there was no one there but Rufus, whose waffles looked even sadder than normal. If you're going to freak out on me every time I set foot in that part of New York or every time I don't act like Humphrey doesn't exist then things are going to be really difficult and you are far more insecure than I ever expected. He's still my friend, Chuck. Or at least I hope that he is. Nate is my friend too, remember? You've never had anything to worry about with him since him and I split."

"Even so" Chuck said, getting the strange feeling that he was losing the argument even though he hadn't been fully convinced yet. "Maybe it's best that Jack and I find some other ally."

"You are _not_ kicking me off this vendetta" Blair frowned. "I have my own beef with Bart Bass and I am not going to miss out on a golden opportunity to settle a few scores any more than I am going to let you push me away again."

Chuck looked surprised.

"I didn't know Bart managed to treat you poorly too. I'm sorry. My father has quite the way to hurt other people."

She gave him a tired look, wondering if he was really that oblivious or if he just chose not to understand what she was referring to.

"Your father owes me. Big time. I intend to make his life as messed up as I can in retaliation for all the things he has messed up for me."

"You will be launching two vendettas at once" Chuck remarked. "Forgive me for the rude observation but your powers of scheme have fallen off a bit over the last year. Are you sure you're up for it?"

"The only question is who will crumble first. Bart or Serena? Maybe we could kill two birds with one stone and catch them in a compromising position?"

"I don't want Lily to get hurt in all this. Besides, Bart's too clever to be orchestrated into something like that."

"We'll think of something. Some way to show Bartholomew Bass who the real man is, restoring you to your rightful place at the helm of Bass Industries and show that cold-hearted snake that a man can have a heart and run a business at the same time. By the time he realizes he's been bested he will hopefully be as low as I intend on making Serena."

"First we have to find her" Chuck said. "Promise me that you won't do anything to further complicate it."

"I _want_ her to be found" Blair reminded him. "I want her to pay."

"For all we know she's in some form of mess that does far more to hurt her than you ever could."

Blair frowned a little.

"You don't seriously believe she's in any real harm, do you? I want her crushed emotionally and socially, not physically."

"We'll know more once we find her."

Blair looked concerned for a moment. She followed Chuck with her eyes as he walked over to get the leash, Monkey jumping off the couch and trotting after him when he realized what was going on.

"Monkey needs to be walked" Chuck said. "Do you want to come with or call it a night?"

"I think I'll join you."

She smiled and relaxed a little. Of course Serena wasn't in any harm. She could put her from her mind for the time being and focus only on the positive in her life. Rebuilding her friendship with Chuck was the most important thing, after all. When the dust had settled between her and Serena there would be no friendship left there. She could live without Serena's friendship but she could not live without Chuck.

"We could talk strategy while we walk" she said and joined him by the elevator.

"Jack and I are really stuck" Chuck admitted, patting Monkey on the head while they waited for the elevator to arrive.

"You and I have always schemed well together" she smiled. "We'll think of something. What better way to show your father that you can be with me and still be powerful than by us taking him down together?"

"I thought this was just a friendship" Chuck pointed out gently. "At least for the moment."

"Your father seems to think of me as toxic in your life, regardless of my status in it. I intend on giving him the metaphorical finger."

"Being in Brooklyn has really fouled up your language."

She gave him a playful shove and stepped on the elevator. He followed, chuckling a bit and feeling better now. Scheming with Blair again would be a lot of fun. They were so very good at it together. Hopefully during their cooperation he would be able to make her relent a little where Serena was concerned. She might think she could be happy without her best friend but Chuck knew better.

* * *

Another two weeks went by. Together Chuck, Blair and Jack slowly crafted their plan. Blair was making plans of her own where Serena was concerned but the blonde was still nowhere to be found. Chuck had three PIs out looking for her by now but no luck thus far.

It was a Thursday morning when Blair walked inside a coffee house on the Upper West Side to get some lunch before doing some last preparations for Operation Downfall. The coffee house was mostly deserted at this hour and the large counter was manned by just the one barista. Blair ordered a grilled focaccia with sundried tomatoes, mozzarella and prosciutto, something she had frowned upon a few months ago but learned to love while in Paris, and asked for it to go. She had two errands to run before she could eat.

"Oh, gosh!" an annoyingly familiar voice mockingly gasped in her right ear. "Is that not… Princess Blair? Oh, wait, that's right… If you hold the title for less than ten minutes people don't remember you by it when the divorce papers have been signed."

Blair could barely keep in a groan as she turned and eyed Georgina Sparks.

"Don't you have someplace better to be?" she asked. "Perhaps at a landfill with the rest of the scavenging rats?"

"She still talks like a pure princess, though" Georgina smirked. "And eats like one. Seriously, the Upper West Side?"

"Seriously, what do you want? I don't have time for you."

"That's a shame" Georgina said, hopping up on the counter next to Blair. "I actually came to give you a bit of a heads up for once."

"I'll believe that when Jack Bass finds Jesus."

"You know me well" Georgina giggled. "Fine, I confess. While it is true that I have come here to warn you of things to come it is not from the benevolence of my tender heart. Humphrey really started to grate on me with his excessive whining and lack of trying to get me into bed and I began to fear that his hair would eat me in my sleep so I decided he could do the rest of his work without me."

"You've been with Dan?"

"Naturally."

"What work could he possibly need you for?"

"I'm getting to that, if you'd only give me a minute. As I was saying, I decided to let him finish without me. I also decided that the most entertaining thing I can do at this point is return to New York, light a little match and watch all of you devour one another." She laughed happily and made a triumphant gesture with her hands. "It's going to be glorious!"

"What are you talking about?" Blair asked against her better judgment.

Georgina grinned widely and stole an apple from the basket next to her on the counter.

"While you drew little hearts with Cs in them on your notepads and gambled parts of Waldorf Designs at a casino like a complete idiot I was in Rome."

"You were with Dan?" Blair asked warily, still not sure she believed it.

"What a disappointment that turned out to be." She sighed and took a bite from the apple, her mouth full of fruit while she continued talking. "For one, I never realized just how much you miss a kid when you're away from him for too long. Milo can be such an annoying handful but oddly enough I found myself missing him like crazy. For another, Humphrey is so freakishly boring when he's writing."

"I don't understand" Blair said, curious but a bit anxious as well.

"He finally got started on that second book of his!" Georgina said and smiled in the perfect imitation of a friend happy for another friend. "Isn't that great? Though I'm not sure it's entirely correct to call it his _second_ book as it's more like a complete rewrite of '_Invites_' or '_Ingrates_' or… whatever that other one was called."

"'_Inside_'" Blair corrected her impatiently.

"Right. If you enjoyed reading that you'll get a real kick out of reading '_Exposé_'. Well, actually I think that is a lie. See you don't come off so well this time, sweetie. Chuck and Serena get it pretty bad too. Nate, well, he'll wish he was as insignificant in this book as he was in the last. Basically I've shared all your dirtiest secrets with Dan, every scheme I know of, every immoral act, every debaucherous indulgence… Some stuff I made up. I had to when he couldn't, idiot that he is. To be honest with you I think he'd be better as a journalist than an author. He prefers documenting to inventing. And what is with all those really lame similes?"

"Wait, what are you saying?" Blair asked, shocked by the news.

"That you're going to be exploited in the name of Dan's wallet and recognition" Georgina said with a condescending laugh. She reached out and tousled Blair's hair, much to Blair's chagrin. "Sweetie, haven't you been listening?"

"You're lying" Blair said, backing away so Georgina couldn't touch her. "Dan wouldn't do something like that."

"Really? Grown to be gullible, haven't we?"

"He's my friend. He _loves_ me."

"Hell hath no fury…"

"There's no way he would trash me in a book."

"I bet you didn't think he would cheat on you either" Georgina smirked. "Of course, listening to him you'd think Serena raped him on that bar but that sure wasn't the impression I got from the video. Serena's got talent, by the way! She could totally make it in the adult film industry now that her Hollywood ambitions have gone to hell."

"Stop being so gross" Blair frowned. "The only reason you're here is to stir up trouble and I'm having none of it. You're lying, as usual."

"Don't believe me? Why don't you go ask the great author himself? You should ask to read a chapter from the book, it's really quite comical in its bitterness. It's kind of like he's Dante and you're Beatrice and the Upper East Side is hell."

"Ugh, I've heard enough" Blair said, grabbing her purse to leave, not caring that her focaccia wasn't ready yet.

"Seriously, go see him. He arrived in New York this morning to beg me to come back to Rome with him and help him finish his epic saga."

"You're so full of crap" Blair snorted. "Goodbye Georgina."

She strode back outside, furious with Georgina for ruining her day and trying to decide whether or not to believe the things she had said. If she had really been in Rome helping Dan write why had there been no mention of it on Gossip Girl? Why would she be turning on him now? Why would Dan even be writing the same story again but with more bitterness this time? She knew Dan had been hurt when she chose Chuck but they were still friends. He had promised her that even if she lost everything else she would still have him. Clearly he wasn't _that_ broken up about their relationship ending since he had slept with Serena before it was even over.

She went about her business and tried to focus on what she was doing but it soon grew to be impossible. She had to know if Georgina had told the truth. She had to speak with Dan and sort everything out. When he had ignored her e-mails for two weeks she had stopped trying, figuring he might need some time to lick his wounds, but he had had enough time by now. This was about their friendship and it was important.

She wrote him a text asking him to meet her at the loft that evening. He didn't answer but she had a feeling he would be there. Knowing that this would be addressed in a few hours she could concentrate on the tasks at hand and for a few hours put Dan Humphrey and her friendship with him out of her mind.

* * *

Georgina Sparks smiled contently to herself as she stepped out of her town car and put her sunglasses on. With a happy sigh she looked up at the Empire, thinking of all the entertainment ahead of her. Either Chuck or Nate was bound to be home and once she had had a little conversation with them things would start to get really fun. She didn't like to think of how fun things could have been over the years if those two guys, Blair and Serena had allowed her in to their stupid little group. Having been kept firmly on the outside all these years angered her and it was one of the things that drew her to Dan Humphrey. He too knew what it was like to not be good enough for those four pompous airheads.

With confident steps she strode inside the hotel. The first step towards creating total chaos and hopefully some lifelong damage to the friendships between those four buffoons had already been taken. She felt a little bad about blowing the whistle on Dan's book; in truth she thought it was quite good and she loved that he was really trashing them. Though as much as she liked Dan the plan had never been to provide him with enough dirt for his book and then withdraw. The book was a weapon which she intended to use and this was the best way to do it. Let Blair and the others find out now, before they had any chance of beginning to mend broken bonds and friendships. If she waited until the book was published the four of them might have grown close again and they would band together against the new common enemy.

Now that Blair was no doubt heading to speak to Dan all Georgina needed to do was bring Serena back on to the stage. It had taken her the better part of two weeks to track her down but then she had stumbled over Damian Dalgaard who so happened to know exactly where Serena van der Woodsen was hiding these days. Georgina had no intention of bringing Serena back herself. Instead she intended on telling the boys where they could find their little broken bird and watch them rush to her aid. How Blair would react to that was one of the things Georgina looked forward to the most. The wound between the two former friends had grown quite infected and if Chuck and Nate appeared to be taking Serena's side it would infuriate Blair to no end. Chuck would end up torn between the love of his life and his friend and adoptive sister. Nate would bounce back and forth like a confused ping-pong ball until one or more of them grew tired and told him to not bother. The end result would be total destruction and it would be a beautiful sight to behold. Georgina envisioned herself watching the foundations burn while she played the fiddle and enjoyed the devastation she had caused. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Spend more than few weeks in Rome and those kind of images started to come to you.

Five minutes later she walked off the elevator and inside the penthouse. She grinned widely when she saw that this was her lucky day. Both Nate and Chuck were there, together with that weird mutt Chuck insisted on taking out in public several times a day. They were sitting by the coffee table and both looked up in sync when she walked in. The looks on their faces made her grin a bit wider.

"Hello, boys!" she smiled. "Did you miss me?"

"We need to start telling the front desk not to let people up without clearing it with us first" Nate said.

"What do you want, Georgina?" Chuck asked.

"I've come to request your help" Georgina answered, walking over to them.

"We're not interested" Nate decided.

"It's not for me, really. I need your help to aid a friend in need."

"Nice try but you don't have any friends" Chuck said.

"Talk to Serena anytime recently?"

Chuck and Nate both froze. They shared a look and then glared at Georgina.

"What about Serena?" Chuck asked warily.

"What did you do to her?" Nate demanded to know.

"Me? Oh, nothing. Trust me, even in my wildest of days I could never have gotten her to party like this."

"Georgina where is she?" Chuck asked coldly.

"In Westchester. I know, completely ridiculous, right? Turns out our friend Damian Dalgaard has a house there, or, well, his aunt does."

"She's been with Damian this whole time?" Chuck asked with disbelief.

"Well, not really" Georgina shrugged. "With his friends. Point is, Serena's liver needs rescuing and you boys are the most apt for the job."

"Why are you helping us all of a sudden?" Nate wanted to know.

"If Serena is in Westchester with friends of Damien's my PIs would have found that out by now" Chuck added.

"You mean like how they found out your daddy was actually alive?" Georgina scoffed. `"Come on Chuck, who relies on private investigators anymore?"

"Who relies on _you_ anymore?" Nate shot back. "Or ever?"

"You boys surprise me" Georgina said, sounding disappointed. "One of your own is in a lot of trouble and you can't be bothered to help her? Well at least I tried. If you'll excuse me, I have a son to go home to."

She wrote down an adress on a post-it pad and tossed it to Nate. Then she strode off and Nate shared a look with Chuck.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Might be a set-up" Chuck said. "If it is we're going to have to walk into her trap. Serena has been missing for far too long and we can't overlook the possibility that Georgina is telling the truth. She might get something out of us finding Serena that we don't know about, or that we don't see at the moment."

"Let's go then" Nate said and stood up. "Call the driver."

* * *

The sun had begun to set by the time Blair was finished with her errands and headed to Brooklyn to speak with Dan. At first she thought he wasn't there. The loft seemed empty and aside from finding a suitcase in his bedroom there was no indication that he had returned to New York. Rufus was out somewhere so she couldn't ask him about Dan's whereabouts. She was about to send him a text to ask him where he was and then leave when she spotted something in the corner of her eye. He was out on the deck, leaning on the railing in a pose which looked like he had copied it from a Harlequin novel cover where the guy seemed really emo. She hesitated for a second, getting a strange feeling in her gut when she saw him. He had cheated on her. He had said he loved her and all but demanded her to say it back yet he had slept with her best friend while they were still together. He was supposed to be her best friend now but he hadn't replied to any of her e-mails or texts. She found that cold enough even if it had just been about her breaking his heart when she chose Chuck but since he had cheated things were different. She hadn't thought he could break her heart since she had never given it to him but she felt something close to heartbreak when she looked at him and thought about how he had ignored her. _He_ ought to have been seeking _her_ out, begging for forgiveness and a chance to salvage their friendship. Instead he acted as if she had wronged him and he was completely innocent.

She took a deep breath and joined him out on the deck. The wind was a bit colder than it had been in the past few days, a welcoming change from the scorching hot days of the past two weeks. It blew her hair in her face and she stopped to move it behind her ears before addressing him. He must have heard her come out here and she thought she might as well give him a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Dan" she then said.

He spun around and looked at her with eyes brimming with judgment. It made her recoil a bit. She had been on the receiving end of that look far more times than she could count but very rarely in the past year and a half.

"I presume you got my text" she said. "I assume you got all my other texts and all of the e-mails I sent. Why didn't you answer?"

"What was the point?" Dan asked. "You chose Chuck."

"So what? I thought I owed you a conversation but you wouldn't let me have one. I thought we were still friends. Imagine my surprise when I saw the video on Gossip Girl of you doing my best friend. At that particular location, no less! I told you how much it hurt me when Serena and Nate slept together."

"I didn't cheat on you" Dan insisted. "I mean, yeah, technically I did. But I didn't _know_ that I did. I thought it was over between us. Serena manipulated me."

"Dan I don't give a damn what Serena told you" Blair said, meaning it both because she wasn't heartbroken that he had cheated and because even if she had been it would have been irrelevant. "You were in a relationship with _me_, not with her. Screwing around and blaming it on the other person doesn't cut it. You should have talked to _me_ first."

"I saw Gossip Girl. I saw Chuck with the ring."

"What ring? The Harry Winston? Yeah I saw the blast too but guess what, he never used it. I don't even know if he still has it. We're not engaged."

"Yeah but you chose him."

"I chose him but we're still friends. You still cheated."

"Do you even care? Does it even hurt you?"

"Is that why you did it?" Blair asked with disbelief. "Just so you could hurt me like I hurt you? You slept with my best friend on that bar to get back at me?"

"Serena's not your best friend. _I_'_m_ supposed to be your best friend, remember?"

"Then why aren't you?" Blair asked, confused by his anger.

Dan made a face and turned away for a second. His anger was building fast and he needed to vent all his frustration. He was so utterly disappointed in her and having spent every day since the night of the divorce party planning and writing his book had only fuelled his anger further. After almost a full minute he spun around again and took a few steps closer to her, anger brimming in his eyes.

"I just can't believe that you chose him over me. You know, I thought you'd changed."

"That _I_ had changed or that my feelings had changed? Dan why are you so obsessed with everybody else needing to change when you're not willing to budge an inch yourself?"

"That's not true."

"You've said things like this to me more than once. It's always about me and how I need to change and how you're disappointed in me whenever you find that I haven't."

"You're over-simplifying it."

"Look, if you fell in love with me for who I am I don't understand why it's so crucial to you that I change. What is wrong with who I am?"

"Is that a serious question?"

"Yes" Blair said, feeling deeply hurt by his silent insinuation.

"You don't see the problem in hurting other people and being the cold, snobby bitch you were back in high school? I thought you had grown and developed a heart and a sense of caring and that perhaps there was more to you than that icy exterior. You proved to me that night of the divorce party that you hadn't changed at all."

"I don't want to change" Blair said. "I like who I am. I enjoy plotting and scheming and I enjoy planning and carrying out take-downs. It's a thrilling mind game, measuring myself against other people. It's fun and it's rewarding. And I'm a snob, so what? I have my preferences and my taste and that's just who I am and you can't force that out of me. What is even so bad about it? You pride yourself on being a cultural snob which means you obviously know that it's more about a finer taste and less about turning your nose up at someone. If you think I was a cold bitch in high school but changed into a warm, fuzzy koala under your loving care then you are taking credit for something that never had anything to do with you. That heart you speak of was always there but you never bothered to look for it before. I love who I am, Dan. Is there room for improvement? Sure. Am I perfect? No, but so what?"

"I can't believe you're standing here glamorizing the hazing and the-"

"Give it a rest, Humphrey" Blair said with a sigh. "You do the same thing only you call it 'writing' or 'speaking the honest truth'."

"No, we are not alike in that aspect. The girl I knew in high school was a bitch, okay? The woman I got to know last year, she was different. She had grown up and changed and had some depth."

"Because I chose Chuck that depth and growth magically disappeared?" Blair questioned. "I don't know why you so desperately wanted to be with me if you wanted to change everything about me. It's starting to sound like all you wanted to do was mold me into someone else. Into Clair Carlisle."

"You said yourself that when you read my book you could see that I saw you better than anyone."

"I was in denial, Dan. I wanted to be like Clair because… because being Blair Waldorf was making my life really complicated and Clair Carlisle was so different from me and her life was good. I tried to be her. In the end I was just miserable. It wasn't until I started to once again embrace who I really am and love the things that make me me that I began to feel good about myself again. So I won't change. Not for you or anyone else. Only for me, if and when I feel like it."

"Then don't expect me to call you my friend."

Blair stared at him in disbelief and slowly shook her head.

"You said you love me… You wanted me to love you, to choose you… but you don't even _like_ me."

"Not if who you really are is the same bully I knew in high school."

"I don't understand. The only thing that has changed between the last time we saw each other and this moment is that I chose Chuck. How does that undo my whole personality in your eyes? You _told_ me to choose. You said you would always be my friend… that even if I lost everything I would still have you. Was that a lie?"

"I gave you everything and I was there for you through everything and you couldn't even be bothered to tell me it was over between us."

"You weren't taking my calls!"

"No, before that. Before you got back together with Chuck."

"You mean when you were busy getting back together with Serena?"

"Serena and I are not back together."

"You slept with her. That's together enough. It's far more together than I am with Chuck." A memory appeared to her and she frowned. "You gave me an ultimatum this spring, at a point when I was really low and desperate for a friend. You told me that if I didn't date you then I would lose you as a friend. At the time I thought you meant that you couldn't bear to be just friends but now… now you're making good on your threat."

"Give me one good reason why I should keep being your friendly lapdog when you chose that sleaze Chuck Bass over me?"

"If you were ever my true friend you would find it in you to be happy for me. That man you call a sleaze is the love of my life. You knew this when we got together."

"You told me he didn't have your heart anymore and that I did."

"I told you he didn't have my heart anymore but at no point did I say you did" she corrected him. "You must have decided that for yourself. Dan can't we just accept that what happened between us was misguided and move forward? We were both wrong to date each other."

"Oh! Oh that is rich!"

"Is it? It was wrong of me to use you, my good friend, as a rebound just because it was comfortable and safe. It was wrong of you to choose a point where I was so utterly heartbroken to make your move and hold your friendship for ransom. We both made mistakes."

"This is not a friendship" Dan said. "Not anymore."

"Then how dare you question my decision to choose Chuck? He is my true love and after these past months it's obvious he is my truest friend as well. Not you and not Serena. Chuck is the one who never stopped being my friend no matter how badly it broke his heart to see me with other men. You couldn't even bear to see me single and still be my friend! Chuck nearly broke himself to make sure I was happy. You punish me for choosing happiness."

"Is that really what you think of me?"

"Can you tell me that I'm wrong?"

"Yes. You're wrong. _You_ are the one who never cared about _my_ happiness."

"So now you're writing a book about us? Another one, a much worse one?"

Dan stared at her for a moment, realizing what must have happened but needing her to confirm it.

"How did you know that?" he asked.

* * *

They didn't need to question if they had found the proper house. Chuck and Nate shared a look when the limo drove up to the house in Westchester and they could hear the loud music from several houses down. When their car approached somebody inside seemed to notice and turned the music down, probably expecting new party guests who might need to be able to make themselves heard in order to purchase illegal substances.

"Wait here" Chuck needlessly told the driver. "We plan on being back within five minutes. Ten at the most." He eyed a guy in his early twenties who had just stumbled out of the door and was swaying heavily as he tried to make it to the middle of the lawn. "On second thought… Keep the engine running and if anyone tries to come near the car take a drive around the block. The last thing I need is some stoner throwing up all over my newest limo."

"Keep your mouth shut and let me handle this" Nate said as they walked up towards the front door.

"Why?" Chuck asked skeptically.

"Who do you think can play stoned better? Me or you?"

Chuck shrugged and let Nate take the lead. They walked inside the house, finding it surprisingly empty given the kind of party it seemed to be. Only about five or six people were lounged on the furniture, all of them stoned out of their minds. The air was thick with the smell of drugs and Chuck coughed and waved it out of his face.

"This is going to be hell to get out of the delicate fabric" he complained, regretting that he would have to send his new suit to the drycleaners tomorrow.

"Be quiet" Nate told him.

Chuck had to admit he was impressed. It took Nate less than two minutes to find the most lucid person in the living room and enquire for a hot blonde who would love to party with two hot guys. The description sounded far too vague to bring them to Serena in Chuck's ears but to his astonishment they were directed to a bedroom on the second floor and inside found Serena on the floor, leaning against the bed.

They were both shocked to see her. The girl who always managed to look perfect without any effort and no matter what she had done during the day was a complete mess. Her long, blonde hair was tangled and greasy and looked like it hadn't been brushed or washed since Dan Humphrey's last haircut. Her jeans shorts were too small for her and her t-shirt at least two sizes too big. She sat slumped forward making it hard to see her face properly but they both knew it was her even though she was barely recognizable. She didn't look up when they came into the room and judging by the smell and the empty bottles on the floor she had had more than her share of toxins for the evening.

"Oh my God, Serena!" Nate exclaimed and hurried up to her.

She slowly lifted her head and was lucid enough to be surprised to see them. Nate knelt beside her and Chuck gave them a moment, picking up an empty trashcan and tossing the bottles in it. He kept one eye on them as Nate took her cheeks between his palms and studied her face with worry and Serena eyed him with confusion and intoxication. Her eyes were bloodshot and had dark circles under them. Her once beautiful skin had lost all its luster and it seemed like she hadn't set foot outdoors all summer.

"Serena" Nate said. "Serena can you hear me?"

"Nate?" she said. "What… What are you doing here? Did you come to join the party? Mitch has some really good stuff downstairs…"

"Party is over" Chuck said, setting the trashcan down beside her and kneeling in front of her. "You can't stay here."

"Oh God Chuck, you wear too much after-shave" Serena moaned, the mere smell of him making her throw herself over the trash can and vomit.

"It's cologne" Chuck corrected, holding her hair back for her.

"Serena what have you taken?" Nate asked worriedly. He looked up at Chuck. "We both know this is not just alcohol."

Chuck nodded while Serena tried to swat him away.

"Get that smell away from me" she complained.

"You do the honors" Chuck said to Nate and stepped back, letting Nate hold back her hair instead. "Serena tell us what you took."

"What the hell does it matter?" she asked tiredly, gasping for air and sitting back on her heels, her hair falling in sweaty strains around her face. "Why are you even here? You guys don't give a damn and if you do that will pass real soon."

"Oh please" Chuck snorted. "You're talking to the master of self-pity. Your whole little emo-act is nothing unfamiliar to me. I practically invented it, though you know what S? When I binge in self-pity I always tell Nate what I'm binging on."

"No you don't" Nate frowned.

"I'm trying to be pedagogical."

"My father doesn't give a damn about me" Serena whimpered, all of her issues spilling out of her. "Lola is apparently important but me? I could cure cancer or die alone in the gutter and he wouldn't feel anything either way. My mom never cared much about me either; all she does is think the worst of me and… and… stuff."

"Lily tries" Chuck objected.

"With you maybe" Serena snorted. "She loves you more than me and you're not even her real kid."

"She just gets along easier with me because we don't have a lifetime of parent/child arguments" Chuck said.

"I thought I had Blair, no matter what" Serena blubbered. "Then she turned on me and I don't understand why. One minute she's supportive, telling me to go after Dan. The next she's making out with him and since that moment she's never given two shits about me and I don't know _why_. Why does she not care about me anymore? If she can stop caring about me the two of you will follow suit real soon."

"I admire your coherent speech in the middle of this intoxication" Chuck said. "Your line of thought is less coherent. You and Blair get into fights with each other all the time. It doesn't mean that she-"

"I tried to be a good friend" Serena sobbed. She moaned and leaned over the trashcan, feeling like she might throw up again. "I tried to support her with Dan even though it was killing me" she told the trashcan. "She still kicked me out."

She threw up again. Nate and Chuck shared a look. So long as she was vomiting up whatever she had taken she might save herself from severe alcohol poisoning.

"You boys will side with Blair" Serena mumbled when she looked up at them again. "Chuck you love her and all, even though she's done nothing to deserve your love anymore… Nate you side with Chuck…"

"We can have this riveting conversation in the morning" Chuck said. "We should get you home."

"What home?" Serena blubbered. "Blair kicked me out. My mom will look at me with those condescending eyes if I show up like this… Bart will probably lock me in a tower."

"We're taking you to our home" Chuck said. "Nate?"

They both grabbed a hold of her and lifted her up to standing. Nate then carefully picked her up and cradled her in his arms while Chuck lead the way back out to the waiting limo. Serena leaned her head against Nate's shoulder, not caring that she was drooling a little and probably getting vomit on his expensive shirt.

"Nate you don't hate me, do you?" she mumbled.

"You know me better than that."

"Chuck will side with Blair" Serena complained drowsily. "He's got it so bad for her. She could throw that mutt of his under a bus or Lorena Bobbit him in his sleep and he would still worship the ground she walks on. Nobody ever wanted me like that. I thought Dan did but I was wrong."

"You're not alone, Serena" Nate said. "I'm here and I love you."

She moaned something unintelligible and then fell asleep against his shoulder. Nate sighed and hurried up to the limo where Chuck was waiting, relieved that no one in the house seemed to care that they were carrying one of the party members outside.

"I hope you're making sure she's still breathing" Chuck said, eyeing Serena with a frown.

"I hope you'll make sure Blair won't stop by our place until Serena is back on her feet" Nate replied, getting Serena into the limo.

"I'm not so sure our place is the best option tonight" Chuck said. "A hospital seems more appropriate. Or the Ostroff Center."

"Let's just get her home and into a bed" Nate said, leaning back against the leather seats with a passed out Serena's head in his lap.

"For once it seems Georgina Sparks was on our side" Chuck remarked as the car began to drive away. "Wonder what price she'll expect us to pay in return."

"Whatever it is it will be worth it."

"I wonder what drove her to this" Chuck said. "I know she's been heartbroken over Dan and Blair but she still seemed fairly hinged. Then all of a sudden she loses it completely. At least when I decided to leave everything behind I had been freshly dumped by Blair and shot by muggers."

"Not all of us have as dramatic lives as you do. She's been through a whole lot and I think all of us have been too wrapped up in our own lives to notice how she's been feeling. The girls really drifted away from us this year, each in her own direction. I think Serena just reached her breaking point."

"Starting with sexing Humphrey and filming it" Chuck said. "I still can't believe she _filmed_ it. She's never done anything like that before."

"It doesn't matter why this happened" Nate said. "The important thing is that we're going to help her through this. That includes you!"

"If you're suggesting I might bail on S in favor of B don't worry."

"Good. Serena needs us now. Far more than Blair does."

* * *

"Dan" Blair said, wrapping her arms around her as she was starting to shiver a bit in the cold wind. "I'm asking you. I'm asking you as a friend and a former girlfriend to please don't publish this book. It's not going to make you feel any better."

"How do you know?" he snorted.

"How is you fighting on the same level as we do going to make you feel better when you're so criticizing of how we do things?" she pointed out calmly.

"Oh please. This is not sinking to your level. This is exposing all of you and the world you live in. Shining the light on all your rotten acts and hopefully taking away much of the glamour associated with you."

"Because I chose another man above you? Don't you think that's really petty?"

"Call it the straw that broke the camel's back."

"I'm serious, Dan. Walk away from this. We both know the only person who's going to end up getting hurt is you. Me and my friends, we always land on our feet. We have each other to help us pull through. If you finish and publish this book and you cast me out as a friend because I love Chuck then you're going to realize that when we called you Lonely Boy in the past it didn't even almost live up to what your life is about to become."

"Is that a _threat_? That is _exactly_ the kind of thing the old Blair would say. I can't believe I ever thought higher of you than that."

"You can't expect to be able to try and destroy our lives and still be welcome in them" Blair pointed out icily. "Your new book dies, here, tonight. I'm taking it with me when I leave and it's ending up in the Hudson. If you care to salvage this friendship at all you'll comply and then you'll grovel. You will grovel like there's no tomorrow because you owe me that for cheating on me with Serena. That's the deal. I'm the one who should be furious with you, not the other way around. This can only end with me winning and you know that, so why go through with this? Let it go, Dan."

"No, you people will not get away with it again" Dan said angrily. "You do nothing but toy with people and screw them over and think only of what benefits yourselves. Especially Chuck and especially Serena and especially you."

"Really?" Blair said, voice full of disbelief. "After you wrote a book about our personal lives and you're doing it all over again you're going to stand here and tell me that _we_ use others for our personal benefit?"

"'_Inside_' was never meant to be published."

"'_Exposé_' is" she countered. "Dan I thought higher of you than this. You're really going to exploit us all and hang all our secrets out to dry and try to turn the whole world against us, essentially running our futures, just because I couldn't love you back?"

"You know what, this is not about you and me" Dan said. "This is about something I should have done years ago."

"You did. Last year with your first book."

"Last year was sunshine and roses compared to what's coming your way."

"Last year you painted Serena out as a flake who shouldn't be trusted because she can't hold on to anything for very long. You painted Chuck out as a sleaze who ended up so lonely he took his own life."

"No, Chuck got away easy that time. People actually _sympathized _ with Charlie Trout, thought he was _compelling_. Somehow the guy always _wins_. Clearly I gave the wrong image of him. This time around people will see him for who he really is and if that means nobody wants anything to do with him from that point on I won't be sorry. In fact, if that whole family goes down, Lily included, I won't shed a tear because they damn well deserve it."

"What has gotten into you?" Blair asked, bewildered by his words.

"I have been pushed around and humiliated and run over by Chuck and, and by everything he stands for, time and time again. My father has been subjected to the same treatment from Bart Bass. It's time they pay."

Blair's eyes turned to ice so fast it almost frightened him a little.

"You think you've had it rough?" she said. "Huh, Dan? Are you standing here expecting me or anyone else to feel pity for _you_? You've had your whole life cushioned by parents who actually gave a damn about you and supported you and believed in you. You've dated an It girl, a movie star and a princess. You got into Yale and had your first book published by the time you were twenty-one. You've lived very comfortably off the riches of others these past few years. Everything you have ever wanted has been yours at some point and if you've lost it it's always been because of your own inability to appreciate it. Am I supposed to sympathize? View you as a tragic hero who suffers greatly and never gets rewarded? You have no idea what it means to lose something that truly matters to you. You harbor such animosity towards someone who has been through so much more than you ever have and your inability to feel sympathy for him scares me. Why don't you try growing up with a parent who never supported you and who left you with the hired help more often than not? Or try losing your only parent while you're still a teenager? Or having your whole biological family screw you over, time and time again? Why don't you try doing everything to make the person you love happy and get nothing in return? Or get shot, or get so little appreciation from the people in your life that you doubt anyone will notice if you leave for good, or find out your dead father has been alive all along only to have him take away everything you've worked so hard for? No Dan I do not sympathize with you and if people find Chuck's alter ego more compelling than yours maybe that's because he's someone who's had to suffer. All of us make mistakes but he pays for his dearly. I thought you were my friend but it's clear to me now that you never were. Not if you can stand here and judge me for being who I am and not if you can speak with such venom about a vendetta against someone who's actually tried to _help_ you. He paid my dowry knowing that I would be with you. How does that benefit him and how does he end up the bad guy in that equation? You're planning on destroying what little he has left and your only reason for it is that I love him and not you. Well I'm not going to let you. I won't let anybody hurt him, ever again. Not you, not Bart and especially not me. Try to go after him and you have no idea what kind of pain you will be in. I will utterly _destroy_ you."

"Do you even listen to yourself? He's got you brainwashed!"

"Does he? He's been nothing but honest with me while you were the one who fed me all those lines about how I shouldn't trust Serena and about how Chuck was evil for sending out that video that ruined my wedding even though it was _you_ who sent it. You tried to manipulate me every step of the way so don't you dare talk to me about bad influences."

"I was trying to _help_ you. To _save_ you. Not that you've been very grateful."

"Who the hell asked you to help or save me?" Blair snarled. "I don't need Daniel Humphrey to come to my rescue when my life is a mess. Either way all you did was mess my life up further, though I suppose as long as you thought you could mold me into Clair you never saw a problem with that."

"You are being completely unfair."

"No you are. You're not twelve anymore, Humphrey. You chased after a woman on the rebound and you ended up getting burned. That sucks for you but it happens. Now either accept it and move on or cry into your pillow every night but don't go on a revenge rampage where you try to take down as many people as possible even though they have nothing to do with any of this. A good person would not do such a thing."

"You are not the judge of who a good person is."

"Neither are you. I'm telling you for the last time to end this project right now. End it or you will get obliterated. This time there will be no coming back to our world."

Dan stared at her in shock, unable to form coherent thoughts because of his anger and unable to fathom how she could be so cold and so ungrateful. He had done everything for her and she had given him nothing in return and now she stood in front of him telling him to follow her orders without question.

"Bring it on, Blair" he said icily. "I'm not afraid of you or any of the rest."

"Many an idiot with a surfboard have gone out into the waters without being afraid of the sharks. Until they get attacked."

"Can I quote you on that for my book?" Dan asked dryly.

Blair gave him a look of disappointment and disbelief. Then she turned and walked away, knowing she would get no further with him at present. She was so utterly disappointed in him and felt betrayed beyond words. He had promised he would be her friend no matter what. He had been a liar. She had thought he was the safe choice. He turned out to be the worst choice of all. Had he ever seen her for who she really was? Had he ever truly cared? Or had he just wanted to make her into something he had fantasized in his head?

"Blair?" his voice said, making her stop and turn. "I'm thinking I should dedicate the book to you. After all, if you hadn't shown me your true colors I would have never written it."

"Go to hell, Humphrey" Blair said. "Before I send you there myself."

She cocked her neck, held her head high and left. He stood there alone for almost an hour, anger, disappointment and heartbreak filling his heart and mind.

* * *

Serena woke up the next morning feeling like hell. She had slept with her mouth open and now her mouth was completely dry, though there was a fair amount of drool on the pillow beneath her cheek. She was sprawled out in a large bed in a vaguely familiar room, wearing a slip she didn't recognize and her clothes from last night nowhere to be found. Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized she should be alarmed by this but her head was throbbing and her stomach feeling like hell and she had no energy to muster up for such unimportant details as where she was and who had done what to her before, or after, she passed out.

She heard a door open and closed her eyes shut, not caring who was there with her. All she wanted to do was go back to sleep for another twelve hours or so and then get some hair of the dog that bit her. Instead a real dog landed on top of her with a thud, making her moan and open her eyes, desperate for something to throw up in.

"Monkey!" Chuck's voice said firmly and a bit too loudly for her liking.

She managed to crawl over to the edge of the bed and spotted a red bucket on the floor. Grabbing hold of the mattress she emptied her stomach into the bucket, not caring that some of the vomit didn't hit the proper target.

The weight of the dog disappeared from the bed and her stomach felt a bit better. She gasped, closed her eyes and realized she was sweating heavily.

"Sorry about that" Chuck said. "I thought he would stay outside. He slipped past me."

"Oooooh…" Serena moaned, putting her palm to her aching forehead. "Where am I?"

"The Empire" Chuck said, ushering Monkey out the door before closing it to keep the dog out. "Nate's bed."

"Where's Nate?"

"My bed. If your stay here extends to several days that boy is going to have to cut his toenails. I have scratch marks all over my legs."

Serena opened one eye as little as possible, realizing that the room was fairly dark and no bright lights were hurting her head. Chuck was walking around the bed, dressed in one of his satin robes, freshly shaven and with his hair done. The sight made her want to roll her eyes but she knew it would be too painful for her poor head. Who the hell did their hair before getting dressed?

"I don't remember" she said. "What happened last night? Why am I here? Did I show up and make a scene?"

"Serena what did you take last night?" Chuck asked with worry, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"What, now you're my mother?" she groaned.

"You've had us pretty scared. You go missing for two months and when we find you it's like three old-time Serenas rolled into one."

"Leave it alone, Chuck."

"I can't."

"I don't want your concern. I just want to be left alone."

"I can't do that. You didn't leave me alone two years ago when all I wanted to do was disappear. You saved me. I'm not going to let you fall now."

"'I lost Blair" Serena muttered, closing her eyes and slowly rolling over on her back. "I lost Dan."

"He's not that big of a prize to lose."

"He is to me."

"Yeah but you're drunk and/or stoned out of your mind."

"I know Dan has made mistakes" Serena mumbled. "But Blair is no better and you can't tell me you're not crazy about her still."

"I saw the video on Gossip Girl. You wanted it to end up there. What I don't understand is why."

"I thought it would prove to Blair and Dan both that they don't really want each other. I thought Blair deserved to know how damn much it hurts when…" She dove over the side of the bed and threw up again.

"Sounds like an oxymoron. If she doesn't really want him it's not going to hurt."

"Which means I win either way" Serena mumbled.

"Let's not talk about this anymore right now" Chuck said, standing up. "Nate's ordering up breakfast."

"God Chuck, don't talk about food!"

"You're eating. Bagels and some oatmeal. You're also drinking at least two bottles of sparkling water before you're allowed out of bed."

"I'm not so sure I _want_ to get out of bed."

"Sober up" he said. "Cure your hangover. Then we're going to figure this out."

"You may be Chuck Bass, Chuck…" Serena said, rolling over on her back with a sigh. "But there are things not even you can fix or control."

"Hasn't stopped me from trying, now has it?"

"What is Blair going to think when she finds out I'm here?" she asked. "She chose you over Dan, I know she did. She's not going to like this."

"Let me worry about that."

"No Chuck. I've lost enough as it is. The last thing I need is to come between you and whatever shot at happiness you have with Blair. For the record I think she'll continue to make you miserable but it's up to you to realize that."

"I'm not with Blair" Chuck informed her. "We're just friends. She knows you're not just my sister on paper and that I'm not going to abandon you."

"Perhaps you should" Serena whined.

"Please, that's enough self-pity. Take it from someone who knows, wallowing in self-pity and playing the martyr isn't going to get you anywhere. Sober up, get a hold of yourself and if there are people in your life who don't appreciate you then get back at them by being the most awesome you can be." He got up and walked back to the door. "Oh, and take a shower, or a bath. You smell like sewage."

"Gross" Serena complained.

He left the room and she wanted to crawl back into her cocoon of oblivion but for some reason she didn't seem to be able to. She had to admit that there was something appealing about the last thing Chuck had said. It hadn't even crossed her mind before but maybe it was something she could do. Pull herself together, rebuild her life and not give a damn what Dan or Blair or her parents or anyone else thought.

Full of determination she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Then she sunk down on the floor, her head spinning as she threw up again.

* * *

"How long do you think we should leave her in there before checking up on her?" Nate asked an hour later, nervously glancing at his bedroom door.

"Give her another two or three hours" Chuck said, leaning over the pool table to try and make a shot. "We know she's alive and responsive. She could use some time to herself to recuperate. We can send in some lunch in a while."

"I just can't believe what condition we found her in" Nate sighed, walking around the pool table for his next shot. "Serena's gone on benders before but not like this."

"The important thing is that we both remember that we don't judge" Chuck said. "She needs full understanding but not enabling."

"Meaning what, exactly?"

"That we listen to everything she says and we don't judge her for it yet we don't allow her to wallow in self-pity either. She's had it rough but she's come back from worse."

"Man do our lives suck sometimes" Nate sighed, sending the red ball into the intended pocket. "One disaster after another."

The elevator rang and they both looked up. Nate shot Chuck a half-panicked look when Blair stepped inside the penthouse.

"Dude" he hissed at Chuck. "What is she doing here?"

"Do I look like I can read minds?" Chuck hissed back.

"Hello chipper young lads" Blair said. "Chuck I need to talk to you. We've got another problem on our hands."

"What is it this time?" Chuck asked, wondering how much more the universe intended to pile up on them.

"It seems I have seriously misjudged Humphrey" Blair said, stopping in front of them and making a displeased face. "The guy's a troll. Not just because he looks like one did his hair but because he's… Ugh, you're not going to believe this."

A door opened behind her and she turned around. She had thought she had had all the surprises you could pack into two days but she was completely stunned to see Serena standing in the doorway to Nate's room, wrapped in Nate's favorite robe and looking like she had just gone through the ringer ten nights in a row. The shock of seeing her there made Blair completely lose her trail of thought and she stared at her former friend for a moment, mouth gaping with disbelief. Serena said nothing, standing there looking miserable but at the same time determined. She was not going to yield to Blair, even if she was at a massive disadvantage due to her hangover.

Blair turned to Chuck, her eyes shooting daggers.

"What… the _hell_… is she doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Serena shot back. "Chuck didn't take you back from what I understand. Shouldn't you be trying to fool Dan that you have feelings for him for the second time?"

"Ladies, that's enough" Chuck said. "Serena is here because she needed a place to stay and because if she partied for five more minutes her liver would have vanished in a poof of sparkly smoke. Blair is here because she is helping me take down Bart Bass. From now on this penthouse is neutral ground. A sanctuary if you will. The Switzerland of the Upper East Side. I will not have either one of you pit Nate and me against the other one, especially since we all know that in a few weeks time you two will be back to being besties."

"Not on your life" Serena snorted.

"Chuck" Blair said icily. "Your dog looks like he needs to go. Walk him with me."

Chuck had taken Monkey for a walk half an hour ago but figured it was probably wise to do as she asked. He whistled for Monkey and went to get the collar. No doubt Blair wanted him removed from the freshly declared neutral zone so that she could give him a piece of her mind but if so he could live with it.

"Blair…" Serena said as Blair strode past her towards the elevator, her head held high. When Blair didn't respond Serena turned to Chuck with an apologetic look. "Chuck…"

He walked over and kissed her cheek.

"Have lunch with Nate. I'll be back in a while and we'll talk then."

He put the leash on the dog and followed Blair onto the elevator. This was probably going to be the most unpleasant walk he had taken in months.

* * *

They walked silently side by side, Monkey eagerly trotting next to Chuck. Chuck waited for Blair to be the first one to speak but she seemed comfortable with the silence. He wondered if she was letting him sweat for a while before she would unleash her anger at him. He had known she would be hurt and upset seeing Serena in his penthouse and he couldn't say he blamed her. As reluctant as he was to take sides in their fights Blair was the woman he was in love with and the person who was going to help him get his revenge on his father. To bring her former best friend who had slept with her boyfriend to his apartment must hurt a lot and probably felt like a betrayal to Blair. Yet he didn't know what he could have done different. Serena needed help and right now she needed to have people around her. He knew that better than anyone because he had been there.

He let Blair decide where they were going to walk and what pace they would set. They slowly made their way through the park, not stopping until they reached Blair's favorite spot by the duck pond. Monkey whimpered eagerly and seemed very keen on going over to play with the birds but Chuck told him to sit and he complied.

Blair looked out on the water for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Now that the first shock had settled she realized she wasn't as pissed as she would have thought to see Serena at the penthouse. She seemed to be in a bad shape and no matter how angry Blair was she didn't want Serena to be left alone somewhere with God knows who if she was in trouble. Besides, there was little satisfaction in crushing Serena when she was this low.

She turned her eyes back to Chuck. He looked like he was anxiously waiting to hear her speak. He probably thought she was about to tear into him for allowing Serena to come to his penthouse. That was not why she had asked him to take a walk with her, although she did find it relieving that they were away from Serena.

"Thank you" she said.

He nodded a little and glanced down at his shoes for a second, assuming she had found some measure of sympathy for Serena and was thanking him for not leaving her to rot out in the gutter.

"Thank you Chuck, for letting me be me. For never wanting to or trying to change me. You've always seen me for who I am, all my bad sides and all my good sides. You never had any illusions about me, you've just loved what you've seen. What I really am."

He opened his mouth to reply but realized he had no idea what to respond; he was so taken aback by what she was saying. He closed his mouth again and let her continue.

"I talked to Dan last night and I feel… I feel so disappointed, so… _betrayed_. Not because he slept with Serena but because it is now obvious to me that he never saw the real me. He all but told me last night that he doesn't think I'm a good person and that the only reason he fell for me was that he thought I had changed into this whole other woman. Into Clair Carlisle."

"You're nothing like Clair Carlisle" Chuck said. "She was weak. Indecisive. Lacked real drive and ambition. She always needed Dylan to help her through the day. In a way I think Dan did the greatest disservice to you in that book."

Blair looked surprised.

"I… I didn't see her as weak or indecisive."

"She never really fought any of her own battles. She couldn't handle any setback without Dylan being there to carry her through. That's not you. You are the strongest person I know, as you are well aware. You don't need Dan or me or Serena or anybody to help you through the day. You're amazing. Clair Carlisle was pretty pathetic."

"Dan is writing a new book. He is so bitter that I chose you; apparently all his illusions of the Upper East Side have now shattered and whatever happened between him and Serena it didn't seem to do much to cushion the blow. The new book is going to make '_Inside_' look like it was a tribute to us."

"See, this is why Humphrey will never fit in" Chuck said. "You never launch version 2,0 of a takedown. He did the book thing. It's old. It's tired."

"It's also plausibly dangerous" Blair pointed out. "We all suffered consequences from his first book. Serena got work trouble, you were painted as pathetic, the awkward sex scenes he wrote about himself and me made Louis freak out. Nate got away fairly okay but only because he was barely in it. Imagine what this new book could do. Especially since I don't think he's going to try to hide our identities this time around."

"He named us Charlie Trout and Clair Carlisle" Chuck pointed out dryly. "I don't think he tried to hide our identities in '_Inside_' either."

"We need to stop him somehow."

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Let me know if you need any help or if you want to squash this particular bug on your own."

A sad look came over her face.

"I thought he was my best friend… Now he's just another bug to squash under our shoe."

"If he doesn't want to be your friend anymore it's his loss."

"I know" she nodded. A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Which is why I love you so much. _You_ never turned on me as a friend, no matter what I did to you."

He smiled warmly at her and put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"Everything will be fine" he said.

She smiled back and wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and bury her face against his chest. He smelled so good and looked so good and being friends with him again this way made her happier than anything she had experienced during the spring.

Her eyes drifted to his lips and when they went back up to his eyes she noticed his were on her lips. She found herself gasping a little with anticipation, knowing without a doubt that he wanted to kiss her as much as she wanted to kiss him.

Monkey, who had been sitting quietly during their conversation, reached his limit. He had been watching the ducks and wanting to go over to them and now he couldn't contain himself anymore. He barked and flew to his feet, stealing Chuck's attention away from Blair.

"Monkey! Easy there."

"What is he barking at?"

"The ducks" Chuck explained, grabbing the dog by the collar to keep better control on him. "Sit, boy. Perhaps we should go back to the Empire. Do you want to talk to Serena?"

"Not today" Blair said. "It's okay though. Go on home. I'll talk to you in the morning?"

He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you for being amazing" he mumbled in her ear before walking off with the dog.

* * *

When he got back to the Empire Nate and Serena were sitting on the couch with half-eaten food in front of them on the table. Serena seemed a bit more alert. She clearly wasn't feeling very well but something about her appearance made Chuck think that the discomfort was more emotional than physical. When Monkey trotted past them to drink water from his bowl in the kitchen she looked up at Chuck, who was walking over to take a seat on the other couch.

"Did Blair massacre you?" she asked weakly. "Am I currently looking at the ghost of Chuck Bass?"

He smiled crookedly. Sooner or later she needed to find out what they had been talking about; Dan's book concerned her as much as anyone else. Though this was not the time.

"Blair disapproves" he said. "Though she does not object. She understands."

Serena scoffed.

"I'll believe that when pigs fly."

"She has bigger fish than you to fry at the moment" Chuck said. "Forget about her for now. You need to recuperate and regain your strength. Then if the two of you still desire it we can release you on the roof of the hotel and let you '_Hunger Game_' your issues out."

"Sounds great" Serena said with complete lack of emotion.

"Come on, you've hit the low point and now you're on your way up" Nate said in a misguided attempt at being supportive.

"You think snorting cocaine and getting drunk at some relative of Damien's is hitting the low point?" Serena scoffed, looking at him with contempt. "That is just a symptom."

"Then tell us about the disease" Chuck said, not a fan of the metaphor but figuring he ought to just go with whatever made her talk.

Serena sat in silence for a moment, staring blankly at the food on the table. Neither Chuck nor Nate made a sound, anxiously waiting to see if she would open up to them.

"You guys are sweet" she finally said. "However I don't need your help anymore. I can handle myself."

Part of her wanted to open up to them and share everything that hurt her inside. She didn't remember having sobbed to them about her loneliness the night before and had made up her mind not to say anything to them, no matter how relieving it would be to share her burdens. She had lost so much already and it felt like she would be giving up the last shred of her pride if she told them about all the things that put together had broken her. She wasn't entirely sure they could be trusted. She had trusted Blair and Dan more than any other two people and they had both turned their back on her and she still didn't have the faintest idea why. It was as if the two of them had gotten together and talked about how they now suddenly hated Serena and how they would blame all of their problems on her.

"Serena, stay" Chuck said when she got up.

"At least until tomorrow morning" Nate added. "Look, you aren't imposing and you're not a bother so why not stick around?"

"If you don't want to talk to us then don't" Chuck said. "Just… don't be an idiot like I was two years ago."

"Things were different for you" Serena said, wrapping her robe tighter around her.

"It was. I had been shot, the love of my life had rejected me, I had gotten punched in the face, I had been screwed over by my uncle and the birth mother I thought was dead-"

"Really?" Serena cut him off. "You're trying to best me?"

"I'm not saying my pain was worse than yours" Chuck said. "I'm saying I know what emotional rock bottom feels like. Running away and trying to destroy yourself is not the answer."

"Thanks Yoda, I know. I'm supposed to pull myself together and rise to the top and make Blair and Dan and my parents regret not realizing how awesome I am. Seriously Chuck, what world do you live in?"

She stomped past him to Nate's bedroom and closed the door behind her. Nate sighed heavily and shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

"What are we supposed to do?" he asked.

"Give her space" Chuck said. "We can't fight her battles for her, Nathaniel."

"Yeah I know, but we can support her through her battles."

"We can't do much to help her unless we know how she got to this point. All we know are bits and pieces. Until she's ready to talk she's going to have to sort this out by herself. For now let's just keep a roof over her head and remind her that our casa is her casa for as long as she needs it to be." He got up and walked over to the bar. "Meanwhile we have hairier fish to fry."

"What do you mean?" Nate asked, turning around on the couch to follow him with his eyes.

"Daniel Humphrey" Chuck declared, pouring himself a vodka and tonic. "The man can't go ten minutes without messing with our lives, intentionally or unintentionally. Intentionally in this case."

"Wait, when did this happen?" Nate asked with a frown. "You go out for a walk with Blair, you come back and Dan has caused problems?"

"You fail to see the connection?" Chuck question, raising an eyebrow.

"Did he do something to Blair? Other than the cheating."

"He's writing a new book. This one will make the other one look like the best thing that ever happened to us, or so Blair says."

"So? Let him write all the books he wants to write. Who's going to care?"

"I get the feeling that this time he's out for blood" Chuck said, walking over. "I don't understand why he doesn't just let it go. If our world revolts him so much all he needs to do is stay in Brooklyn."

"Blair broke his heart" Nate said.

"Yeah but she's broken yours and mine too and we've never launched a vendetta to utterly destroy her" Chuck pointed out. "I don't know what exactly went down between Blair and Humphrey and frankly I'm not eager to know. What bothers me is that he keeps moralizing and talking about the high road yet he refuses to practice what he preaches." He sat down next to Nate and took a sip from his drink. "He's like a mosquito. Tiny and insignificant yet sucks your blood, leaves you with an itch and annoys the living hell out of you by buzzing in your ear when you try to go to sleep. I'm going to go talk to him and try to convince him to just let it go and move on. If that fails I suggest we band together against our common enemy."

"Bring the girls back together by turning them both on Dan and not each other?"

"Something like that" Chuck nodded. "He's always battled one or more of us but he's always had at least one of you guys on his side. If he has to face all four of us together perhaps we can get him to back off for good. The man needs to move on with his life, for crying out loud. Clearly this 'ultimate insider' thing is not working out so well for him."

"So when are you going to go talk to him?"

Chuck finished his drink and set the tumbler down on the coffee table.

"No time like the present."

* * *

Dan stared blankly at the computer screen in front of him, trying to get inspiration. Georgina hadn't returned his calls since he landed in New York but he knew who was responsible for tipping Blair off. It angered him because he had truly thought Georgina was on his side.

He decided it didn't matter. She had provided him with enough material for a whole series of books. Blair, Serena and Chuck were going down. He felt a little bad that Nate would be taken down along with them but he couldn't be entirely sorry. He knew Nate had supported Chuck over Dan when it came to Blair's heart and he found that notion revolting and disloyal.

Half the book was still unwritten. If he isolated himself at the loft and focused on nothing but the writing he could get it done in another month or so. Then he could get it to his publisher and hopefully have it hit the shelves in time for Christmas. That would be very glorious indeed, having the gift of the year being "_Exposé_", the book that told the real truth about the so called elite of Manhattan.

He heard the door open and expected it to be his father. When he heard a hark and turned around he was surprised to see Chuck Bass standing there.

"Oh great" he said. "The big bad Bass has returned to New York."

"Do try to keep up" Chuck said. "I arrived weeks ago. Do you have anything to drink? It's scorching hot out there and the drink I had before heading out here seems to have done little to rehydrate me."

"That's because alcohol dehydrates" Dan pointed out even though he knew Chuck ought to be well aware. "And no, I don't have anything to drink."

"Not even water wants to be seen in Brooklyn anymore? That's rough."

"What do you want, Chuck?"

"I think you know what I want."

"I really don't" Dan said, saving and closing his Word file and getting up.

"Blair told me about your latest piece of fanfiction."

"Here I thought the two of you weren't together."

"Here I thought two people could be friends without being lovers but since I know that notion is alien to you I'll let it slide."

"Seriously Chuck, what do you want?"

"As I just said I know all about your new book. It will come as no surprise to you that I want it axed."

"Nor will it come as a surprise to you that there's no way in hell I'll stop writing it" Dan said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Humphrey… Isn't it time you walked away with some shred of dignity? Whatever happened between you and Blair, not to mention you and Serena, isn't revenge by destruction of reputation a little too… Blair in junior year? It's been done, and far more masterly."

"This book is not about revenge" Dan said. "It's about exposing you all for the shady people you really are. You guys live your lives as if you are the cream of the crop and the world should be bowing at your feet. Your lifestyle and your misdeeds are glamorized, sending the message that the things you do are perfectly okay and that the rich and beautiful have a free pass to do whatever they want."

"Of course the real truth is that only upper middle-class writers from Brooklyn have such a free pass" Chuck said with a hint of a smile.

"'_Exposé_' is happening."

"Last year we let you have your fifteen minutes of fame with that other book of yours" Chuck said. "Frankly you're not significant enough to warrant that big of a reaction and we all knew it would blow over before long because the book was basically '_Bridget Jones_' but with less substance. We were right. We would have let it slide and let bygones be bygones but now that you are determined to do the whole thing over again it's time we put our foot down."

"Oh, you're going to put your foot down? Are you listening to yourself?"

"Always. Are you? Because here's the deal, Humphrey. This time around we're not going to let you have your fun. Publish that book and you will be facing a lawsuit."

"For what?"

"For what?" Chuck echoed. "For slander, what else?"

"Go ahead" Dan smiled. "It will only bring more publicity to my book, not to mention lend credability to it. If I was far off the mark then you wouldn't be bothered objecting to it."

"If you were right on the money it wouldn't be slander" Chuck argued. "Do you think that this book and such a court case would make you into a hero? You'd be wrong. The rich and powerful always protect their own. The Upper East Side protects their own."

"I don't need the Upper East Side. Fun fact: Most of the people in the world live _outside_ the Upper East Side. I'll have all of them on my side."

"Yes I'm sure starving children in Africa, politicians struggling with the internal affairs of Greece and random people in South Korea will be all over this and make you the icon of a new generation. Nobody will care, Humphrey. You'll get maybe a month or two in the spotlight but that will be it."

"It's not about me being in the spotlight. It's about shining a light on you and your friends and your world."

"Maybe you should direct that light to a mirror and take a good look at yourself" Chuck suggested.

"I make mistakes but unlike you people-"

"Your self-righteous act is old and people saw right through it years ago. When God handed out morals you missed it because you were off getting your hair permed."

"This I hear from Chuck Bass?"

"Hear this: Finish that book if you have to. Perhaps it's your version of therapy, what the hell do I know? But if you ever publish it… your life will become a living hell."

"Keep it coming" Dan said. "You give me more material every time we meet."

"I mean it. You can't expect to launch an attack on us and not have us retaliate."

"So this keeps going until everybody is dead?"

"You are the one who keeps coming into our world and being horribly upset by everything you see. Haven't you considered staying where you feel comfortable and ignoring us? Why are you so eager to cling to our world when you hate it so much?"

"This is my world too."

"It's not, nor will it ever be. You could have married both Serena and Blair yet you will never be a part of our world. I'm sorry Ariel but it's time to find a new dream."

"You are reprehensible" Dan said. "I cannot believe Blair chose you over me, after everything you've done to her."

"She's free to make her own choices and love the person she chooses to love. Get over it."

"I choose to document it instead. Blair is not who I thought she was if she could love somebody like you."

"Who did you think she was, then? She's loved me for as long as she's known you. It's not a new development."

"No, something changed" Dan insisted. "She let you go. She fell out of love with you and in love with me. She chose me like she's never chosen Nate or Louis."

"Really? She chose you more than she chose her ex-husband? Sometimes I get the feeling that what you really wanted from Blair was for her to love you the way she loves me. You've been on and off with Serena for as long as we've known you and her heart has not always been yours. She's loved other men, Nate most especially. Whereas Blair and I… No matter what has happened or who we've been with we've always loved each other. She loved me when she was Nate, when she married Louis and she loved me when she was with you. Don't you think that what you truly fell in love with about her was her devotion? You thought you could replace me and be the one guy she fell out of love with me for and that she would love you the way she's always loved me. That was never more than a pipe dream."

"Are you high? Seriously?"

"Why else would you demand confessions of love from her so soon after her divorce? For that matter, so soon after she declared her love for me on her wedding day? Only a truly deluded person would ever expect, much less demand, that a person would fall out of love with someone and madly in love with them in that short a time span. Going after her now just because she doesn't love you back is pathetic. Way to be a friend, Humphrey. You're a true inspiration."

"Get the hell out" Dan said, pointing at the door.

"As you wish. Just don't forget, Shakespeare… if this book hits the shelves it will be your undoing, not ours."

He left the loft and Dan felt himself seething with anger. Now that Chuck had left he could think of a hundred things he should have said while he was still there but as always those perfect words didn't come to him until after the moment had passed.

He walked back to his computer and sat down, already thinking of what kind of scene he would weave a version of this conversation into. Of course, in his book he would have all the correct retorts and Chuck would come off as badly as Dan saw him. The last thing he was going to do was fold under pressure and give in to threats no matter how many of those Upper East Side kids walked through his door demanding that he cancel his book.

* * *

The following day Serena looked and felt a bit better. Nate had gone out and bought some new clothes for her to wear since the only clothes she seemed to have at the moment were the ones they had found her in and Nate had thrown them in the trash the minute they were off her body. The night before she had taken a long, hot bath and actually finished a hot meal for the first time in weeks and was beginning to feel like a real person again even though she disliked being at Chuck and Nate's penthouse feeling like some damn charity case.

"Thanks, boys" she said while they ate breakfast. She grabbed the large pitcher filled with orange juice and poured herself a glass. "I'm feeling better now so I'll be out of here just as soon as I pack my things."

"What things?" Chuck asked dryly, spreading raspberry jam on a piece of toast. "All you had when we found you was bad hair, bad clothes and cirrhosis."

"Thank you" she said, giving him a glare as she set the pitcher down. "You know how to preserve a girl's dignity."

"Anyway, don't leave yet" Chuck said. "There's something we need to discuss. I had hoped to keep you out of it until you got things straightened out but frankly I'm too annoyed to just let it slide."

"Is it Bart and Mom?" she asked, taking a sip of juice.

"Not exactly."

"We'll tell you in a minute" Nate said, finishing his toast. "It concerns all of us… and one additional person who needs to be here as well."

"I have a bad feeling about this" Serena said suspiciously.

Just then the elevator rang and Blair walked inside. Serena shot Chuck and Nate a death glare and got up.

"I figured. Whatever hare-brained scheme the two of you have concocted to make us bury the hatchet you can forget about it."

"Oh you're one to object?" Blair snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Excuse me, I think I was the one whose diary ended up on Gossip Girl and whose boyfriend you slept with."

"Just be quiet, both of you" Nate said, rising from his chair. "This is not about the two of you so save your argument for later."

Serena scoffed, crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head away from Blair. Blair snorted and turned her head in the opposite direction. Chuck rolled his eyes and got up.

"Blair? Can I interest you in some breakfast?" he offered.

"No thank you" Blair said, looking over at Serena again with skepticism. "I seem to have lost my appetite."

"This is not going to be a cake walk" Nate sighed.

"I know you two hate each other now" Chuck began. "Nate and I have decided to stay out of it entirely. We're on both your sides and on no one's side and if you have a problem with that we don't care all that much. However we will ask you to find some time in-between destroying one another to help us take down a common enemy."

"Humphrey?" Blair frowned.

"Correct."

"Wait" Serena said, confused by the new development. "Why Dan? What did he do?"

"No one classy, that's for sure" Blair snorted.

Nate rolled his eyes and began to tell Serena what was going on before she or Blair could get any further jabs in. Serena just shrugged at hearing the news.

"So what?" she asked. "He ruined my reputation enough in the first book. What's going to damage it further in this one?"

"Maybe he'll claim that you raped him on that video we all saw on Gossip Girl?" Chuck suggested dryly, sitting back on the couch with one leg crossed over the other, chewing on a grape.

"The book itself is bad but it's not the worst part" Blair said, sitting down a little closer to Chuck than necessary. "It's _why_ he's writing it. '_Inside_' was something he wrote just for himself, something that wasn't meant to hurt anybody."

"That's really easy for you to say since he wrote you as the perfect princess heroine" Serena said.

"With this new book he's doing it out of anger and spite. He's out to hurt us and all because I don't love him."

"Yes, because nothing in the world happens unless it's about Blair Waldorf" Serena scoffed.

"Actually it's because of you as well" Blair said snappily. "Because of the trick you pulled on him at the divorce party he believes there is evil in all of us and we are manipulative crudes and we deserve whatever he slanders us with."

"Yeah, well Dan is not exactly the innocent little flower he claims to be" Serena said, eyes rolling. "Yeah I let him believe that you had left him for Chuck but he didn't need any coaxing to get his pants off. I could show you the entire film clip if you want."

"Ew, no" Blair frowned.

"Let's focus on the issue at hand" Chuck said. "We don't want Humphrey to publish this book. Neither one of us does. The best way to stop him is to work together. I called a contact of mine at his publisher's and she's agreed to update me when the book is finished and he hands it in to his publisher. He may end up deciding not to publish after all, in which case I say let's not waste energy on him. If he does move forward to have it hit the shelves I say we take him down. Together."

"In the meantime you girls can feel free to tear each other's hair off" Nate said with a tired sigh. "Actually if he thinks we're busy turning on each other he will be easier to strike down on."

Blair and Serena shared a reluctant look. Then they both sighed and agreed to go with Chuck's and Nate's suggestion. If Dan tried to publish his book he would meet the combined wrath of the four of them.

* * *

Summer went by slowly. After much consideration Serena decided to rent a room at the Empire, staying close to the only two friends she felt she had any measure of trust in at the moment yet not living in their penthouse or under their direct supervision. She went through an unpleasant period of detoxing her body from the various substances she had subjected it to over the first weeks of summer and then tried to figure out what she wanted to do with herself. She knew Nate, Chuck and Blair expected her to launch a takedown of Dan with them if it came to that but she was far from sure she wanted to. In spite of everything she still hadn't been able to let go of her feelings for him and she wanted things to work out between them if possible.

Blair stayed out of Serena's way and Serena stayed out of Blair's. Blair still planned on getting revenge on Serena but for the time being it was not her top priority. She worked with Chuck and Bart to find the perfect strategy to take down Bart Bass and found herself disappointed when Chuck insisted that they wait before they launch their retaliation. He wanted to lull Bart into a false sense of security first to make their revenge that more unexpected. The fact that the Bart takedown wasn't happening right away and that they wouldn't go after Dan unless he handed in a manuscript to his publisher made her restless and uneasy. Her takedowns were resting, the confrontation she knew was coming with Serena was not happening yet, her mother was running Waldorf Designs over summer and things with Chuck progressed painfully slow. They were friends, growing closer and closer every day, but she had resolved to let him make the first move towards something else and he wasn't moving an inch.

He texted her on the first Wednesday of August, while she was out shopping with Dorota. He wanted her to stop by the Empire as soon as she could and she smiled with anticipation. Bart and Lily had returned from the Hamptons yesterday. Could this mean that Chuck was ready to strike?

She strutted inside his penthouse with a chipper smile and bag containing a bottle of wine for them to have a little toast with before moving forward with their plan. The smile died on her lips and the hand that had been holding the bag up to showcase it slowly sank. Chuck was on the couch, looking morose and troubled. Not at all what she had expected.

"Chuck?" she said, setting the bag and her purse down and walking over to sit beside him. She placed a hand on his knee and he looked up at her. "What is it? What has happened?"

"Oh I stopped by my dad and Lily this morning to have brunch and to welcome them home from the Hamptons… I don't know what I was expecting and I know I have been trying to make him believe I've gone back to my party ways but the way he snorted at me just… I mean, he hasn't seen me in over two months and before that we were separated for two and a half years. Shouldn't he be at least a little happy to see me?"

Full of sympathy Blair gently ran her hand up and down his thigh in a comforting motion, hating the pain she saw on his face yet feeling glad that he had texted her.

"If Bart can't see what a wonderful man you are then it's his loss" she said.

"All this time when I thought he was dead… I worked so hard trying to make him proud of me. When Lily and a few others told me that he would be very proud I allowed myself to believe them. Then he comes back and it turns out he's not proud of me at the least. I'm nothing to him but a disappointment."

"You're his son" Blair tried. "Some parents are harder on their own children than on anybody else but that doesn't mean Bart doesn't care for you."

"All I am to him is the worst orgasm he ever had" Chuck said. "The one thing he would probably go back and change if he could."

"That's not true" Blair said gently.

"Why did he not give me up for adoption? He was supposed to but he changed his mind and I don't understand why. He's never acted like he's wanted me. I really, really wish he had given me up and let people who actually wanted me raise me. My life would have been so much better. I wouldn't have had this kind of money but I would have had a real family."

"Thank God that he didn't" Blair said. "Your life might have been better but mine would have been empty. I would have never known you. I don't even want to imagine what my life would have been without you in it."

"We would have met" Chuck said. "If we're meant to be together…"

"Your father kept you for a reason" Blair said reassuringly. "He may not be able to articulate it but he loves you."

"Blair…" Chuck said in a tired exhale, leaning his head closer to hers for support. "No matter what I do I can't get that man's approval."

"I know he's your father and that you love him" Blair said, putting a hand on his back. "Even so, his approval is not necessarily something to strive for."

"I don't think I know how to not strive for it. If my own father can't accept me…"

"… Then he is an imbecile" Blair said. "_I_ accept and love you. Lily accepts and loves you. Nate, Serena… You're not alone, Chuck."

He gave her a look she couldn't decipher.

"A few years ago when we were dating you said… that I wasn't alone and that you would always be my family. You've been a very good friend to me this summer. Ever since Bart returned, really. I may not be good at expressing it but it means the world to me."

"I know" she said with a small smile. "I will always be your friend… but I'm not content with being _just_ your friend for all eternity. I want so much more than that."

He slowly sat up straight and looked at her. She looked back at him, knowing it might not be wise to push his hand but feeling that it had to be said.

"I told you I would give you time and I would wait and I meant it" she said. "Just don't make me wait forever. It feels like time and life is passing us by."

"I wouldn't keep waiting if I were you."

Her jaw fell a little and she was about to say something when he silenced her with a firm, tender kiss. Their lips parted and they looked into each other's eyes, the look in his so intense it almost frightened her. He kissed her again and she took his face between her palms, feeling like she could burst from happiness yet not entirely sure the moment was real.

"Are you sure?" she breathed when the kiss ended. "This is not just because Bart-"

He cut her off with another kiss.

"I love you" he mumbled against her lips. "I want you." His lips pressed hard against hers. "I trust you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer, kissing him with all the longing she had pent-up over the last year. He kissed her back the same way and felt like a huge burden was lifted from his shoulders. They were far past where they had been at the start of summer and all the resentment and insecurities he had felt then had washed away. He had learned that with Blair Waldorf words were not always dependable since she had on several occasions told him she loved him only to then choose another man. Her actions were what he had to listen to and all her actions since that night on the rooftop had been telling him what he wanted to hear. That she loved him and was willing to fight for them and that if they had the chance to be together again she would be as unwilling to let go as he was.

Now that they were kissing and touching and through an unspoken agreement were back together every bit of longing and desire he had been forcing from his mind since the accident came back full force. He broke from her embrace and stood up, her following suit half a second later. They looked at each other and smiled before Blair grabbed a hold of his tie and pulled him closer, backing towards his bedroom with his arms wrapping around her.

* * *

Afterward there was only peace, quiet and something close to harmony. Blair smiled contently to herself as she lay on her back, head turned to face Chuck who was lying to her left trying to catch his breath. He was on his side, looking completely spent but more at peace than he had in quite a while. His left arm was draped across her chest and her right hand caressed it while her left reached out and stroke his hair.

"This is what it's supposed to feel like" she said, voice calm and happy as she broke the silence. "I had forgotten."

"What is supposed to feel like this?" he asked.

"Sex. Being with someone you truly love. Every cell in your body responding to your partner, every touch feeling like heaven, every moment being one you wish would never end. I told myself I had only imagined that it was like that with you; that I just romanticized it when I looked back. That wasn't true. This is real. This is the way it always should be and I can't believe I almost settled for something that could never be this way."

He didn't respond, just looked at her strangely. She moved over to her side and got closer to him, looking deep into his eyes. His hand began to draw circles on her back and she wrapped her right arm around him, letting her palm play with his skin.

"Don't ever leave" he said, his voice begging. "Don't ever leave me again. I don't know that I would survive it."

"Don't worry, Chuck" she smiled in reply. "You're stuck with me until the bitter end. We've wasted far too much time as it is. _I_'_ve_ wasted far too much time. This time it's going to be forever."

"Forever" he echoed.

"Nothing and no one can make me leave" she said. She leaned closer and kissed him. "We're Chuck and Blair… Blair and Chuck…"

He kissed her back and moved on top of her, his desire rising by the second.

"I told you we were inevitable, Waldorf."

* * *

That was probably a bit clunky but I hope it worked okay. This chapter was in a lot of ways set-up with a lot of confrontations and conclusions waiting in chapter three. Thanks for reading! Tell me what you thought.


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